December 27, 2009

One killed, four injured in St. Louis factory shooting rampage

·A man walked into a plant in St. Louis and opened fire, killing one and wounding four others.
·The gunman was a disgruntled worker who may have recently lost his job, reports say.
·Some employees ran to the building's rooftop to escape the gunfire.

A member of the St. Louis Fire Department pushes a person on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance outside ABB Inc.,Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010, in St. Louis, the U.S. Police were called to the scene after a gunman with a rifle walked into the business and began shooting.

NEW YORK, Jan. 7 -- A man armed with an assault rifle and handgun walked into a plant in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday and opened fire, killing one person and wounding four others, authorities said.

According to reports reaching here, the shooting occurred around 6:30 a.m. local time at the ABB Power factory on the city's north side. Some employees ran to the building's rooftop to escape the gunfire while another man barricaded himself in a maintenance room.

A company supervisor told police that the gunman was a disgruntled worker who may have recently lost his job, according to reports.

Fire Department spokesman Bob Keuss identified the suspected shooter as Timothy Herndon, of Webster Groves. Mo. KMOX radio said Herndon had worked for the company for 23 years.

A two-mile perimeter was established around the plant and Interstate 70 was shut down.

The Swiss-based ABB Group makes power transmission and industrial automation equipment. The company manufactures transformers at the St. Louis site, according to its Web site. ABB has operations in roughly 100 countries, employing about 120,000 people.

Police work at the scene of a shooting after a gunman with an assault rifle walked into the ABB Power plant and began shooting Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010, in St. Louis, the U.S.
(AP)

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer delivers his keynote speech before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. Ballmer unveiled a new Hewlett-Packard Co tablet computer on Wednesday, beating Apple Inc's hotly anticipated move into the market. The show runs January 7-10.

LAS VEGAS, the United States, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off here on Thursday with some 2,700 exhibitors unveiling their latest technology innovations.

The world's largest technology trade show, organized by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), runs through Sunday. More than 20,000 new products will be on display at the show.

Top executives of the biggest names in technology and business will take the stage at the show with keynote addresses from Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, Ford's Alan Mulally, Intel's Paul Otellini as well as Nokia's Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo and Hisense's Zhou Houjian, who will speak as part of the CES Technology and Emerging Countries Program.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, speaks during a presentation before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. The show runs January 7-10.

Additionally, the 2010 CES will feature more than 250 sessions and 800 expert speakers as part of the CES conference program, which will cover a range of industry topics from social media to safe driving to technology policy.

Experts say perhaps the hottest topic at the show this year is 3-D television and whether consumers who enjoyed movies in the format, such as "Avatar," would pay extra for a new TV adapted for such images.

A pair of Active Shutter 3D glasses sit on top of a Panasonic 3D Blu-ray player during a news conference at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 6, 2010.

The CEA estimates that 2.2 million 3-D sets will be sold in 2010 and that by 2013 more than 25 percent of all televisions sold will be 3D-TVs.

Another positive surprise in the consumer electronics industry has been devices that play Blue-ray disks. The association estimates that more than 7 million of the players -- many of which have Internet connections -- were shipped in 2009, more than double that of 2008.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shows the Hewlett-Packard slate PC during his keynote speech before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. The show runs January 7-10.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer holds the Hewlett-Packard slate PC during his keynote speech before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. The show runs January 7-10.

A Samsung E6 e-book is seen during a news conference before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. The show runs January 7-10.

Guests stand in line to attend the keynote speech from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer before the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 6, 2010. The show runs January 7-10.

A Panasonic 3D camcorder is displayed during a news conference at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada January 6, 2010.
(Reuters)

Switzerland's Roger Federer watches a bouncing ball during his ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament match against Latvia's Ernests Gulbis in Doha January 7, 2010.

ABU DHABI, Jan. 7 -- World number one Roger Federer struggled over three sets, while number two Rafael Nadal had an easy sail as both reach the Qatar Open semi-finals on Thursday.

Federer survived a scare to down 21-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to set up showdown against Russian third seed Nikolay Davydenko who beat big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 7-6.

Nadal stayed in shape when Belgium's Steve Darcis retired with an injured back when the Spaniard was leading 6-1, 2-0 in their collision.

Spain's Rafael Nadal serves to Potito Starace of Italy during the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 6, 2010.

Nadal will next play Serbia's Viktor Troicki who overcame Poland's Lukasz Kubot 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.

"This wasn't the way I wanted to reach the semi-finals. I feel sorry for Darcis and wish him a speedy recovery. I hope he plays in the Australian Open. When you know you aren't well, it's better to stop," said Nadal.

The Spaniard said he was back to his best after being plagued by knee and stomach injuries during 2009.

"Last month, I had a shoulder problem, but I believe I'm back to my best. I may not serve as fast as Roger or Robin (Soderling), but if I can serve between 190 and 200 kph, that'll be fine."

Spain's Rafael Nadal serves to Potito Starace of Italy during the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 6, 2010.

Spain's Rafael Nadal returns a shot against Potito Starace of Italy during the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 6, 2010.
(Reuters)

Norway's Tore Holvik performs a jump during the men's Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Holvik finished third.

Switzerland's Patrick Burgener performs a jump during the men's Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Burgener finished second.

Daisuke Murakami of Japan performs a jump during the men's Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Murakami won the event.

China's Sun Zhifeng performs a jump during the ladies Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Sun finished second.

China's Xu Chen performs a jump during the ladies Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Chen finished third.

Sarka Pancochova of the Czech Republic performs a jump during the ladies Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event at the Kreischberg mountain near the Austrian resort of Murau January 7, 2010. Pancochova won the event.
[Agencies]

Team player Beckham widely praised on Milan return

MILAN - David Beckham was hailed for his constant willingness to help the team after shining on his AC Milan return in a 5-2 Serie A win over Genoa on Wednesday.

AC Milan's Andrea Pirlo (L) and David Beckham smile before the start of their Italian Serie A soccer match against Genoa at the San Siro stadium in Milan January 6, 2009.

Injuries to Alexandre Pato and Clarence Seedorf meant second-placed Milan had to start on-loan Beckham further forward than usual on the right of a front three.

"He had a week where we tried him in every role (in training)," coach Leonardo told Sky television.

"I think that is the synthesis of what he is all about. He has an absolute willingness to help, extraordinary quality and tactical intelligence."

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder is on-loan at Milan for a second five-month loan spell in a bid to clinch a place in England's World Cup place during the U.S. close season.

He produced some superb crosses, went close with a drive and worked hard defensively in front of England coach Fabio Capello.

The 34-year-old even turned down Ronaldinho's offer to take a penalty at 4-1 and the ball was given to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, short of goals since his move from Real Madrid in August.

"Beckham, just like last season, has been a great acquisition. He is a superb player and a superb person," Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said.

"He earns very little from us. He came to Milan for all different reasons than money."
[Agencies]

Returning Gatlin sounds warning to Bolt

RALEIGH, North Carolina - Former Olympic and world champion Justin Gatlin warned kingpins Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay to brace for a possible defeat when the American sprinter returns from a four-year doping suspension this year.

"I could beat them before. I don't see why I can't run with them now," Gatlin told Reuters in a telephone interview after a training session in Naples, Florida. "Times don't scare me."
Jamaica's Bolt holds the 100 metres world record at 9.58 seconds and the 200 metres record with a time of 19.19, while American Gay is the 100 metres world silver medallist.
Gatlin tested positive in 2006 for banned male sex hormone testosterone but has denied ever knowingly taking any banned substances. He will be eligible to run again on July 25 under the terms of his suspension.
"You've got to respect the times, they are fast times," said Gatlin, who turns 28 in February. "But I feel that if one man can do it, then the next man can do it as well."
Gatlin has personal bests of 9.85 in the 100 and 19.86 in the 200. In 2006 he ran a world-record equalling 9.77 in the 100 but it was wiped out as part of his doping suspension.
He is also the 2004 Olympic 100 metres champion and 200 metres bronze medallist and swept both sprints at the 2005 world championships.
Whether he will ever face Bolt and Gay again is up in the air since major European organisers agreed in principle not to invite athletes like Gatlin and Britain's Dwain Chambers who have served lengthy doping bans.

A footage from Paris Hilton's video.

Jan. 7 -- Guess whose is the Sun Online's most watched showbiz video of 2009? It's Paris Hilton of course.

Paris Hilton's video of a saucy bath scene was originally launched in 2007. But it is so alluring that the masses couldn't help but coming back for more, and pushing it beyond a whopping 1.5 million hits.

U.S. socialite Paris Hilton poses at a party in downtown Beirut July 3, 2009.

Paris' topless scene fought off competition from footage of Madonna's shock onstage wobble. A ghostly image of late Michael Jackson wandering the corridors of his Neverland home came in at third place, while Leona Lewis' bookstore attack and actress Jessica Biel's red hot pole dance in Powder Blue landed fourth and fifth spot in the top ten countdown.

(Reuters)

Graphics shows the price of light, sweet crude oil for February delivery rose 1.41 U.S. dollars to settle at 83.18 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Jan. 6, 2010.

NEW YORK, Jan. 6 -- Oil refreshed its 14-month high with a settling price above 83 U.S. dollars on Wednesday as more risk-prone investors shrugged off a surprisingly bearish inventory report.

Crude futures rallied for the tenth straight session on Wednesday. Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 1.41 dollars, or 1.7 percent, to settle at 83.18 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, February Brent crude contract gained 1.3 dollars, or 1.6 percent, to settle at 81.89 dollars a barrel. Both have refreshed the highest closing price since early October 2008.

Crude dipped below 81 dollars in morning trading after the U.S. weekly inventory report turned out to surprise the market.

The U.S. Energy Department Energy Information Administration said that during the week ending on Jan. 1, crude stockpiles rose 1.3 million barrels, while analysts had made an average forecast of a 300,000-barrel drop. Gasoline supplies increased 3.7 million barrels, against the forecast for a 300,000-barrel increase.

What is more surprising is the change in distillate stocks, which include heating oil and diesel. A drop of 200,000 barrels came far lower than the anticipated decline of 1.8 million barrels.

Another weekly draw in fuel supplies was widely expected, as the cold snap continued in North America. Crude stocks had been in decline for four consecutive weeks and distillate fuel supplies had dropped for three weeks prior to this week.

Oil refreshed its 14-month high with a settling price above 83 U.S. dollars, Jan. 7, 2010.

Fuel consumption fell 1.6 percent to 18.8 million barrels a day last week, the report showed. It also showed that inventories at Cushing, Okla., the physical delivery point of NYMEX futures, continued to rise and hit a record high of 35.7 million barrels last week.

But investors returned to a buy mood as a weakening dollar prompted appetite for risk taking.

"Today's EIA release posted bearish surprises relative to consensus expectations. If oil prices in the first instance corrected lower, in the end, the sway of the USD proved to be stronger than that of fundamentals," Harry Tchilinguirian, commodity derivatives senior oil analyst at BNP Paribas, wrote in a note to clients.

Minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting showed that a "few members" thought that the central bank's 1.25-trillion-dollar program to buy mortgages could need to grow, rather than be phased out on March 31.

The report suggested the U.S. economic recovery still faces difficulties and U.S. treasury prices fell as the minutes underscored some traders' concerns about inflation. And the dollar fell against the euro and sterling pound, pushing commodities prices to rise.

Economic data released on Wednesday also offered support for the oil rally. The Institute for Supply Management said its services index rose to 50.1 in December from 48.7 in November. A reading above 50 signals growth.

Analysts believed that the jobless report due on Friday is what the market focuses on and an upbeat reading could send oil even higher.

Oil refreshed its 14-month high with a settling price above 83 U.S. dollars, Jan. 7, 2010.
(Reuters)

Dancers of the Classical Ballet of Moscow perform during "El Cascanueces" ("The Nutcracker") by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky at Alameda theatre in Malaga, southern Spain, January 6, 2010.

Dancers of Classical Ballet of Moscow perform during "El Cascanueces" ("The Nutcracker") by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky at Alameda theatre in Malaga, southern Spain, January 6, 2010.

Dancers of the Classical Ballet of Moscow perform during "El Cascanueces" ("The Nutcracker") by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky at Alameda theatre in Malaga, southern Spain, January 6, 2010.
(Reuters)

The space shuttle Endeavour leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A aboard the crawler-transporter at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida January 6, 2010. The shuttle is expected to be launched on February 7 on a mission to the International Space Station.

The space shuttle Endeavour is silhouetted against an early-morning sky as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida January 6, 2010.

The space shuttle Endeavour is silhouetted against an early-morning sky as it rolls out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida January 6, 2010. The shuttle is expected to be launched on February 7 on a mission to the International Space Station.
(Reuters)

Heavy snow closes airports, schools across Britain

LONDON, Jan. 6 -- The bad weather that struck Scotland and northern England earlier this week rolled into the south and London in early Wednesday, causing delays and cancellations of public transport and closing thousands of schools across the country.

A man walks through the snow in Queen's Park in northwest London, January 6, 2010. Blizzards swept across central and southern England on Wednesday, bringing more road and rail chaos, forcing airlines to suspend flights and hundreds of schools to close.

Temperatures were as low as minus 13 degrees Celsius in northern Scotland, and snowfalls reached 25 cm in parts of the southern county of Hampshire, but London largely escaped the worst of the snow.

In London, the trains heading to Kent, parts of Sussex and the London suburbs from the major commuter stations of London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street were all suffering from delays and cancellations.

An emergency timetable with dozens of canceled services and many re-timed ones had been in operation all day and will run for Thursday and probably Friday. Train services that usually operated past midnight were scheduled for last trains between 7 pm and 9 pm.

The overcrowded conditions on trains made many commuters unable to get off at their destinations and had to continue their journeys till the next stop, while others who got off to allow passengers to leave the train couldn't return onto the carriage.

"Just my luck, I stopped commuting like this in 1991 and just came into town today on business. Now I'm stuck in this. I wouldn't like to do it every day," a traveler told Xinhua.

Other commuters made light of the delays and crowded trains. Darren Jones, aged 21, an office worker in London who lives in Dartford said: "It's a bit like that game tetris innit? You kind of have to move people into funny shapes and sideways and everything to get them to fit in."

Janice Ackerley, living in the southeast of London, said while it was crowded and there were delays it was better than in previous heavy snowfalls. "Back in February last year we had more snow and it was much worse. Things just seemed to grind to a halt."

Passengers wait for flights after heavy snowfall closed the runway at Gatwick Airport near London January 6, 2010. Blizzards swept across central and southern England on Wednesday, bringing more road and rail chaos, forcing airlines to suspend flights and hundreds of schools to close.

Gatwick airport canceled flights for most of the day. It could reopen before 5 p.m. Airport spokesman Sean McKe said, "We hope to be open Thursday. One fear is that ice will form with the water, but we have plans for that. We have teams out working on the snow as I speak."

"We lost 438 flights and we are dealing with the backlog. The public has been very understanding, which we didn't expect, and they've been resilient."

At Heathrow Airport the runways remained open. "We have a team of 68 vehicles - snow ploughs and gritters - operating to keep the runways open," airport spokesman Stuart Butchers.

"We have had 150 cancellations out of a daily total of 1,300 flights. We expect to stay open Wednesday and all Thursday and we are not expecting any more snow until Friday.

"This is nowhere near as bad as the heavy snowfall we had in February 2008. That was a bad day for us and we had 800 cancellations."

London's subways were largely running normally. A Transport for London spokeswoman said, "Most Tube lines had a good service, with some minor delays, in both the morning and evening."

Outside London in southern England the snow was deeper and more disruptive. A total of 70 schools in the small, coastal county of Dorset, were closed.

Snow falls around The Houses of Parliament in central London January 6, 2010.

Hundreds of schools in the north of England including Plymouth Grove Primary School in central Manchester were forced to close on Wednesday because of the weather.

Head teacher Michael Cooke said: "School will be closed on Thursday. I apologize for the further inconvenience that this causes children and parents but we have been unable to clear any of the snow, or grit any of the paths.

"The school has also been unable to receive any food deliveries for the school dinners. We are making every effort to have this work completed by Friday."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) reported the snow had helped them make several arrests. A GMP spokesman said: "Officers arrested two men for trying to break into vehicles parked on driveways after following their footprints in the snow.

"Another wanted offender was put behind bars after his footprints led officers to the house where he was hiding."

A train leaves station in Hampshire, a village 40 miles west of London January 6, 2009.

An ambulance man walks away from the fire station in Hartley Wintney, in Hampshire, a village 40 miles west of London January 6, 2009.
(Reuters)

The damaged powerboat Ady Gil, which belongs to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, floats near the Japanese ship Shonan Maru No. 2 after a collision between the two vessels in the Southern Ocean January 6, 2010. Anti-whaling activists accused Japanese whalers of ramming and sinking the high-tech protest boat in the frigid Southern Ocean on Wednesday, but Japan said that its ship could not avoid the collision. Picture taken January 6, 2010.

CANBERRA, Jan. 6 -- A protest ship has been holed in a collision with Japanese whalers on the high seas, Australian Associated Press reports Wednesday.

Six crew members aboard the anti-whaling stealth ship the Ady Gill were rescued, one with broken ribs, after it and the Japanese whalers' ship the Shonan Maru 2 collided in remote Antarctic waters.

The crew of the Japanese ship Shonan Maru No. 2 spray water at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's high-tech powerboat Ady Gil during a collision between the two vessels in the Southern Ocean January 6, 2010.

The dangerous escalation in the whale wars has sparked calls for the Australian federal government to send a ship to Antarctica to police the situation.

Vessels have long been ramming each other and using stink bombs and water cannons in the annual battle over whether hundreds of whales should be hunted.

The Ady Gill, a futuristic light-weight vessel engaged by the anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd, had its bow sheared off in the incident and is taking on water.

The Sea Shepherd says the Ady Gill had stopped in the path of the Japanese vessel, but was trying to get out of the way when the Japanese went straight for it.
(Reuters)

Tension between Hamas, Egypt flares as border clashes erupt

·Hamas demonstrators clashed with Egyptian forces at Egypt-Gaza border.
·At least seven Palestinians were injured, an Egyptian soldier was killed in the clashes.
·Israel and Egypt sealed off their borders with Gaza in June 2007.

RAFAH TOWN, Gaza Strip, Jan. 6 -- Tension between Gaza Strip ruler Islamic Hamas movement and Egypt flared on Wednesday after clashes erupted between Hamas demonstrators and Egyptian security forces at southern Gaza border with Egypt.

A wounded Palestinians is carried away during a gunbattle near the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip January 6, 2010.

Witnesses in Rafah town said dozens of Hamas demonstrators clashed with Egyptian security forces on Wednesday at the borderline area and they heard intensive gunfire at the area.

The violence erupted as Palestinian demonstrators hurled stones at the Egyptian forces guarding the borders and in return, the Egyptian soldiers opened fire to disperse the protesters.

Medics at Abu Yousef al-Najar Hospital in Rafah town said that at least seven Palestinians were injured, including six were lightly injured and another people is in serious conditions. It is unclear whether the wounded were hit by Egyptian fire or as a result of the stones thrown by their colleagues.

Egypt's Nile TV reported on Wednesday afternoon that an Egyptian soldier was killed in the clashes.

Gaza ruling Hamas movement organized the demonstration Wednesday morning near the borders against the Egyptian police who clashed in the Sinai desert city of el-Arish with members of an international aid convoy on Tuesday night.

Earlier media reports said Egyptian security forces clashed on Tuesday night in el-Arish with a pro-Palestinian convoy, led by the British MP George Galloway, which tried to deliver aid supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip.

The convoy of 198 trucks and more than 500 supporters left London a month ago, in hopes of entering Gaza from el-Arish, an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean, a few miles south of Gaza.

Hamas police and security forces immediately arrived at the area, redeployed their members there and prevented demonstrators from throwing stones at the Egyptian forces.

The witnesses said that a status of calm has dominated the borderline area after the clashes.

A Palestinian throws a stone at Egyptian soldiers during a gunbattle on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip January 6, 2010.

Tension between Hamas and Egypt has mounted recently after several media reports said that Egypt is constructing an underground steel barrier under the borderline to prevent Palestinian smuggling through underground tunnels over the past three years.

Egypt has not officially announced that it is building a steel barrier under its borders with Gaza, however, Egyptian government officials said it is Egypt's right to defend its borders and protect its national security.

Meanwhile, Hamas movement in Gaza slammed Egypt on Wednesday following clashes on Tuesday night between the Egyptian police and the international Humanitarian convoy.

Gaza-based Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that Egyptian police's attack on the Gaza aid convoy "is an attack on more than 40 Arab, Islamic and European countries represented by the convoy."

Several protesters and police officers were injured in the clashes on Tuesday night, said local media reports in Gaza.

The reports quoted witnesses as saying that Egyptian police threw stones at the crowd and arrested seven demonstrators.

The witnesses added that the Egyptian police fired water cannon to disperse the crowd that gathered to receive the aid trucks.

"This attack is an evidence that the issue is related to tightening the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than three years," said Barhoum.

He added that the members of the convoy "came to defy the unfair blockade, and the Egyptian police's attack was made in order to prevent those people who came to express solidarity with us from defying Gaza blockade."

Israel has been imposing a tight blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip since Gaza militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid in June 2006.

Israel and Egypt sealed off their borders with Gaza in June 2007 when Islamic Hamas movement took over Gaza from security forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt has also kept its Rafah border crossing with Gaza largely closed.

Palestinian demonstrators on the Gaza side threw stones at the Egyptian border guards during a rally against the closure of Rafah border crossing at southern Gaza strip, Jan. 6, 2010. An Egyptian soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper on borders with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Egypt's Nile TV reported.

Palestinians carry a man wounded during clashes with Egyptian troops at the divided border town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 6, 2010. At least 5 Palestinian demonstrators were wounded by the gunfire during the clashes, according to local medics.
(Khaled Omar)

NEW YORK: Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was suspended without pay by NBA commissioner David Stern on Wednesday for behavior that made him "not currently fit to take the court."

A day after Arenas was photographed before a game in Philadelphia pointing his index fingers, as if they were guns, at his teammates, Stern warned the three-time All-Star that his conduct will "ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse."

Arenas is under investigation by federal and local authorities after admitting to bringing guns to the locker room. Stern originally planned to wait to take action, but he tired of Arenas' behavior.

With each game he misses, Arenas will lose about $147,200 of the $16.2 million he will earn this season in the second of a six-year, $111 million contract. The punishment came on his 28th birthday.

"I feel very badly that my actions have caused the NBA to suspend me, but I understand why the league took this action," Arenas said in a statement through his attorney. "I put the NBA in a negative light and let down my teammates and our fans. I am very sorry for doing that."

Arenas added that he had called Stern to apologize.

"While I never intended any harm or disrespect to the NBA or anyone else, my gun possession at the Verizon Center and my attempts at humor showed terrible judgment," he said. "I take full responsibility for my conduct."

Arenas originally said he brought four guns to the Verizon Center because he wanted them out of his house after his daughter was born. But two officials within the league who have been briefed on the investigation have told The Associated Press that the incident stemmed from a dispute over card-playing gambling debts and a heated discussion in the locker room with teammate Javaris Crittenton. The New York Post, however, reported that the two teammates drew weapons on each other.

Arenas said in a statement on Monday that he took unloaded guns from his locker in a "misguided effort to play a joke" on a teammate.

"Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong," Arenas said. "I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns - even if unloaded."

Stern said members of the Wizards organization are still being interviewed by law enforcement authorities.

"Some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident," Stern said.

A Wizards spokesman said Arenas left the team, which is playing in Cleveland, earlier Wednesday but didn't know where he was going.

"It's sad," Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said. "You don't want to see a player go down like that. We're a family, and it hurts."

The Wizards supported Stern's decision in a statement attributed to president Ernie Grunfeld and the Pollin family, which owns the team. The late Abe Pollin changed the team's name from the Bullets because of the violent connotation.

"Strictly legal issues aside, Gilbert's recent behavior and statements, including his actions and statements last night in Philadelphia, are unacceptable," the statement said. "Some of our other players appeared to find Gilbert's behavior in Philadelphia amusing. This is also unacceptable."
(Agencies)

Unborn baby Yao on people's lips

It maybe the most hotly-anticipated baby ever. Six months away from his/her birth, the baby of Yao Ming and his wife Ye li has already become a "celebrity". Name, nationality, gender, future profession and height, each issue has aroused frantic discussion among the fans and players.

Some netizens have named the unborn baby "Yao Qianshu", which mandarin pronunciation means "cash cow". Some hope it would be boy-girl twins and name the boy "Yao Lan" and the girl "Yao Qiu" in hopes they will continue their parents' career. The combination of the first names "Lan Qiu" means basketball in Chinese.

It echoed the wish of Fan Bin, former Chinese men's national basketball player. "I hope they can have boy-girl twins so both the men's and women's side can have a bright future," Fan said. "If it's too hard for Ye Li (to have boy-girl twins), then they can have one this year and one by one every few years. Then we can see Yao Ming's children playing for China for a long time."

However, the couple hasn't decided where to deliver the baby, according to Yao's China-based spokesman Zhang Chi. Ye is still staying in their hometown Shanghai but if she flies to Huston - where she spends most of the year with Yao - to give the birth, the baby will be an American since China doesn't recognize duel citizenship.

How tall will Yao Ming's child be? Survey

News that Ye Li, wife of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, is pregnant obviously has attracted great attention at home and abroad.

The rumor was first revealed by Ye's close friend Miao Lijie, who is her former teammate on the National women's basketball team, when attending a show for Shanghai World Expo on Monday. The news was confirmed on Tuesday by Zhang Chi, a spokesman for Yao's China-based agents, who also said Ye is expected to deliver the baby in July.

Good news travels fast, as fans in Houston have already launched a survey at the local bbs today, speculating about how tall the child of Yao (2.26 m) and Ye (1.90 m) will be.

The current results show that 39 percent predict "little Yao's" height will surpass 2.00 m but no more than the father's 2.26 m. Of those polled, 23 percent think the child has a decent chance to top Yao Ming, and 29 percent believe the child will grow up to more than 2.40 m, with the remaining 9.4 percent believing that 2.00 m is the height limit for the child.

It seems that many fans' guesses are bold compared with those of medical experts. According to the calculations of medical experts, if the child is male, he probably will reach a height of between 2.00 m to 2.21 m, or 1.94m to 2.08 m if the child is female.

Yao Ming and Ye Li are staying in Shanghai now for the promotional work of the city's 2010 World Expo. Yao is also running Shanghai Sharks, a basketball club in Shanghai which he bought last summer.
(China daily)

olympic spirit

One killed, four injured in St. Louis factory shooting rampage

World's largest consumer electronics show opens in Las Vegas

Federer, Nadal advance into Qatar Open semis

Snowboard World Cup halfpipe event

Team player Beckham widely praised on Milan return

Returning Gatlin sounds warning to Bolt

Topless Paris most watched

Oil tops $83 despite bearish inventory data

Classical Ballet of Moscow perform "The Nutcracker" in Spain

"Endeavour" arrives at launch pad

Heavy snow closes airports, schools across Britain

Anti-whaling ship holed in Antarctic clash

Tension between Hamas, Egypt flares as border clashes erupt

Gilbert Arenas indefinitely suspended by NBA

Unborn baby Yao on people's lips

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