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- Mcilroy, Hovland share lead in British Open
- Reavie doubles lead to 6 points in Barracuda
- China’s economy shrinks 2.6% during virus shutdowns
- G20 finance meetings in Bali overshadowed by war in Ukraine
- Mexico captures drug kingpin
- South Korean capital celebrates 1st Pride parade in 3 years
- Man shot and killed by off-duty police in DC’s Wharf area
- Sri Lanka begins choosing leader to replace ex-president
- 6 people die after storm causes US highway pileup
| Mcilroy, Hovland share lead in British Open Posted: 17 Jul 2022 05:53 AM PDT ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Cheers from every corner of the Old Course that belonged to Tiger Woods for two days at St. Andrews switched over to Rory McIlroy in the British Open, and he certainly did his part to give them what they came to see Sunday (PH time).McIlroy holed a bunker shot for eagle on the 10th hole that he described as part skill and part luck, but it was pure magic. He showed discipline to know when to aim away from the flag, and to take bogey when he was stuck between a wall and a road behind the 17th green.McIlroy now shares the stage at the home of golf with Viktor Hovland, the emerging Norwegian star who was every bit as good in making birdies and avoiding the blunders that cost so many other potential contenders.Both made birdie on the final hole for a 6-under 66. No one else was closer than four shots. They have the same score at 16-under 200, though the support is one-sided.McIlroy is one round away from ending eight long years without a major. He wants to stay in his world without ignoring the support raining down on him."I think it's appreciating the moment as well and appreciating the fact that it's unbelievably cool to have a chance to win The Open at St Andrews," McIlroy said. "It's what dreams are made of. And I'm going to try to make a dream come true tomorrow."McIlroy last won a major in 2014 at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He would love nothing more than to win at the home of golf, on the Old Course where Jack Nicklaus once said a player's career would not be complete without winning a claret jug at St. Andrews. (AP) |
| Reavie doubles lead to 6 points in Barracuda Posted: 17 Jul 2022 05:51 AM PDT TRUCKEE, Calif. — Chez Reavie doubled his lead to six points Sunday (PH time) in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour's lone modified Stableford scoring event.A day after a 19-point round, the 40-year-old Reavie scored nine points — making five birdies and a bogey — to reach 37 points on Tahoe Mountain Club's Old Greenwood layout.Players get five points for eagle and two for birdie. A point is deducted for bogey and three taken away for double bogey or worse.Martin Laird of Scotland was second. He birdied the last three holes in a 13-point round.Alex Noren and Cam Davis were nine points back at 28 after 12-point days. Brice Garnett and Henrik Norlander had 27 points apiece.Reavie is trying to win for the third time on the PGA Tour following the 2008 Canadian Open and 2019 Travelers Championship.He pointed to his solid ball-striking in the first three rounds.The Arizona player birdied the par-5 sixth and par-3 seventh on the front nine. He added birdies on the par-4 11th, par-5 12th and par-4 14th, before dropping a point on the par-3 15th with his lone bogey in three rounds. (AP) |
| China’s economy shrinks 2.6% during virus shutdowns Posted: 17 Jul 2022 03:45 AM PDT CHINA'S economy contracted in the three months ending in June compared with the previous quarter after Shanghai and other cities shut down to fight coronavirus outbreaks, but the government said a "stable recovery" is under way after businesses reopened.The world's second-largest economy shrank by 2.6%, down from the January-March period's already weak 1.4%, official data showed Friday. Compared with a year earlier, which can hide recent fluctuations, growth slid to 0.4% from the earlier quarter's 4.8%.Activity was "much weaker than expected," Rajiv Biswas of S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a report.Asian stock markets were mixed following the news. Hong Kong was down 0.8% at mid-morning while Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul gained.Anti-virus controls shut down Shanghai, site of the world's busiest port, and other industrial centers starting in late March, fueling concerns global trade and manufacturing might be disrupted. Millions of families were confined to their homes, depressing consumer spending.Factories and offices were allowed to start reopening in May, but economists say it will be weeks or months before activity is back to normal. Economists and business groups say China's trading partners will feel the impact of shipping disruptions over the next few months."The resurgence of the pandemic was effectively contained," the statistics bureau said in a statement. "The national economy registered a stable recovery."Data on factory output, consumer spending and other activity suggest overall growth was even weaker than the headline figure, Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a report."Even accounting for June's strength, the data are consistent with negative y/y (year-on-year) growth last quarter," Evans-Pritchard wrote. "This isn't the first time that the official GDP figures have seemingly understated the extent of an economic downturn."The slump hurts China's trading partners by depressing demand for imported oil, food and consumer goods.China's infection numbers are relatively low, but Beijing responded to its biggest outbreak since the 2020 start of the pandemic with a "zero-COVID" policy that aims to isolate every person who tests positive. The ruling party has switched to quarantining individual buildings or neighborhoods with infections but those restrictions covered areas with millions of people.Repeated shutdowns and uncertainty about business conditions have devastated entrepreneurs who generate China's new wealth and jobs. Small retailers and restaurants have closed. Others say they are struggling to stay afloat. (AP) |
| G20 finance meetings in Bali overshadowed by war in Ukraine Posted: 17 Jul 2022 03:31 AM PDT FINANCIAL leaders of the Group of 20 richest and biggest economies agreed at meetings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last week on the need to jointly tackle global ills such as inflation and food crises, but failed to bridge differences over the war in Ukraine.As G-20 host this year, Indonesia has sought to bridge divisions between G-20 members over Russia's invasion, but enmity over the conflict was evident even as the finance ministers and central bank chiefs concurred on other global challenges that have been worsened by the war.All involved agreed the meeting took place "under a very challenging and difficult situation because of the geopolitical tensions," Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Saturday.She said delegates had "expressed sympathy that Indonesia has to manage this situation."Indrawati and Indonesian central bank Gov. Perry Warjiyo said Indonesia would later release a G-20 chair's statement that would include two paragraphs describing areas where the participants failed to agree.There were still issues that could not be reconciled, "because they want to express their views related to the war," Indrawati said. In the statement "related to the war there are still views that are different within the G-20," she said.Indrawati outlined a range of areas where the members did agree, including the need to improve food security, to support the creation of a funding mechanism for pandemic preparedness, prevention and responses, on working toward a global tax agreement and on facilitating financing of transitions toward cleaner energy to cope with climate change."The progress is more than expected," Warjiyo said.With inflation running at four-decade highs — U.S. consumer prices were up 9.1% in June — Warjiyo said participants were "strongly committed to achieving price stability.""There is a commitment among the G-20 to well calibrated macro economic policy to address inflation and slowing growth," he said.The meetings in Bali follow a gathering of G-20 foreign ministers earlier this month that also failed to find common ground over Russia's war in Ukraine and its global impacts. (AP) |
| Posted: 17 Jul 2022 02:29 AM PDT MEXICO CITY — The United States' motivation to find infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero was never in doubt—hence the $20 million reward for information leading to his capture—there was less certainty about the commitment of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had made clear his lack of interest in pursuing drug lords.Yet on Friday, three days after López Obrador and US President Joe Biden met in the White House, the US Drug Enforcement Administration's most wanted target was in Mexican custody.The man allegedly responsible for the murder of a DEA agent more than three decades ago was rousted from the undergrowth by a bloodhound as Mexican marines closed in deep in the mountains of his native state of Sinaloa.The arrest came at a heavy cost: Fourteen Mexican marines died and another was injured when a navy Blackhawk helicopter crashed during the operation. The navy said it appeared to have been an accident, with the cause under investigation.Mexico's Attorney General's Office said in a statement late Friday that Caro Quintero was arrested for extradition to the US and would be held at the maximum security Altiplano prison about 50 miles west of Mexico City.DEA Administrator Anne Milgram celebrated the capture of a man especially despised by US officials for the torture and murder of DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985. "Our incredible DEA team in Mexico worked in partnership with Mexican authorities to capture and arrest Rafael Caro Quintero", she said in a message to the agency late Friday. "Today's arrest is the result of years of your blood, sweat, and tears."Cooperation between the DEA and Mexico's marines had led to some of the highest-profile captures during previous administrations, but not under López Obrador, noted security analyst David Saucedo."It seems to me that in the private talks between President Joe Biden and Andrés Manuel (López Obrador) they surely agreed to turning over high-profile drug traffickers again, which had been suspended," Saucedo said.Both presidents face domestic pressure to do more against drug traffickers. With Caro Quintero's arrest, "Narcos are being captured again and I believe that clearly it was what was in fact needed," Saucedo said.US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement Saturday that no US personnel participated directly in the tactical operation that led to the capture of the drug lord.Samuel González, who founded the organized crime office in Mexico's Attorney General's Office and now is a security analyst, said the capture may not have a major effect on the map of organized crime in Mexico, as Caro Quintero was not as powerful as decades ago, and it might even generate more violence in territories such as Sonora, at the US border.But he said that to López Obrador's benefit, the arrest "shows evidence that there's no protection of capos" by his administration.González believes Caro Quintero has long been a thorn in the bilateral relationship, but said that "without doubt" his capture was fruit of the recent negotiations in Washington."The Americans never stopped pressing for his arrest," González said.United States Attorney General Merrick Garland and Salazar expressed gratitude for Mexico's capture of the man blamed for killing Camarena — a case that brought a low point in US-Mexico relations.Garland said the US government would seek his immediate extradition.Mexico's navy and Attorney's General Office led the operation deep in the mountains that straddle the border between Sinaloa and Chihuahua states, many miles from any paved road. They found Caro Quintero, with help of "Max," hiding in brush in a place in Sinaloa called San Simon.Caro Quintero came from Badiraguato, Sinaloa, the same township as Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which formed later. Caro Quintero was one of the founders of the Guadalajara cartel and according to the DEA was one of the primary suppliers of heroin, cocaine and marijuana to the United States in the late 1970s and 1980s.Caro Quintero had blamed Camarena for a raid on a huge marijuana plantation in 1984. The next year, Camarena was kidnapped in Guadalajara, allegedly on orders from Caro Quintero. His tortured body was found a month later.Caro Quintero was captured in Costa Rica in 1985 and was serving a 40-year sentence in Mexico when an appeals court overturned his verdict in 2013. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence, but it was too late—Caro Quintero had been spirited off in a waiting vehicle.Caro Quintero was added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 10 most wanted list in 2018 with a $20 million reward for his capture.López Obrador had previously seemed ambivalent about his case.Last year, the president said the legal appeal that led to Caro Quintero's release was "justified" because supposedly no verdict had been handed down against the drug lord after 27 years in jail. López Obrador also depicted a later warrant for his re-arrest as an example of US pressure. (AP) |
| South Korean capital celebrates 1st Pride parade in 3 years Posted: 17 Jul 2022 02:29 AM PDT SEOUL, South Korea — Thousands of gay rights supporters marched under heavy police guard in the South Korean capital on Saturday, July 16, 2022 as they celebrated the city's first major Pride parade in three years after a Covid-19 hiatus.Police were on alert because church-backed counterprotesters rallied in nearby streets, highlighting the tensions surrounding the rights of sexual minorities in the deeply conservative country. There were no significant scuffles or disruptions as of Saturday afternoon.Revelers wearing or waving rainbow banners cheered during speeches and swayed to music from a stage in front of city hall at the Seoul Queer Parade. They later formed a queue of umbrellas as they marched toward a downtown business district amid drizzling rain, calling for laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.Police established perimeters to separate them from conservative Christian protesters, also numbering in the thousands, who marched in nearby streets. They held up banners and chanted slogans opposing homosexuality as their leader shouted prayers into a microphone pleading that God "save the Republic of Korea from anti-discrimination legislation."Some of the protesters denounced conservative Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon over the city's unwillingness to block the "lewd" Pride parade. Gay rights activists are also unhappy with Oh, who in an interview with a Christian newspaper last week said the city may prohibit the Pride event from using the city hall plaza starting next year if this year's participants "exhibit indecent materials or overexpose their bodies."Thousands of police officers from nearly 60 units were deployed to watch the demonstrators from both sides, said Kim Man-seok, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Police didn't immediately provide a crowd estimate but had previously forecasted a turnout of around 40,000 for the dueling events. (AP) |
| Man shot and killed by off-duty police in DC’s Wharf area Posted: 17 Jul 2022 02:27 AM PDT WASHINGTON — An off-duty police officer shot and killed a man armed with a semiautomatic handgun in the area of a Southwest Washington entertainment district Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police Department said.The encounter took place shortly after 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the area of The Wharf, a district of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues along the Potomac River.At least one shot was fired by the officer, who was with a second off-duty officer at the time, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said.A person who may have been with the gunman was being treated at a hospital for a graze wound, Contee said.The officers had observed the man pointing a handgun while on a pier just outside of a restaurant and "engaged" the man, Contee said in a statement to reporters.Contee said the suspect was "a very brazen individual" and that the investigation was continuing. (AP) |
| Sri Lanka begins choosing leader to replace ex-president Posted: 16 Jul 2022 02:45 AM PDT COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lankan lawmakers met Saturday to begin choosing a new leader to serve the rest of the term abandoned by the president who fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the country's economic collapse.A day earlier, Sri Lanka's prime minister was sworn in as interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose term ends in 2024. Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana promised a swift and transparent political process that should be done within a week.The new president could appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.Parliament's secretary general, Dhammika Dasanayake, said during a brief session on Saturday that nominations for the election of the new president will be heard on Tuesday and if there is more than one candidate, the lawmakers will vote on Wednesday.Dasanayake also read Gotabaya's resignation letter out loud in Parliament.In the letter, Rajapaksa says he was stepping down following requests by the people of Sri Lanka and political party leaders.He notes that the economic crisis was looming even when he took office in 2019 and was aggravated by frequent lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.Security around the Parliament building in the capital, Colombo, was heightened on Saturday with armed masked soldiers on guard and roads near the building closed to the public.Constitutional changesIn a televised statement on Friday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would initiate steps to change the constitution to curb presidential powers and strengthen Parliament, restore law and order and take legal action against "insurgents." It was unclear to whom he was referring, although he said true protesters would not have gotten involved in clashes Wednesday night near Parliament, where many soldiers reportedly were injured."There is a big difference between protesters and insurgents. We will take legal action against insurgents," he said.Wickremesinghe became acting president after Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday and flew first to the Maldives and then to Singapore. Many protesters insisted that Wickremesinghe too should step aside.Opposition leader to seek presidencyMeanwhile, Sri Lanka's opposition leader, who is seeking the presidency, vowed to "listen to the people" and to hold Rajapaksa accountable.In an interview with The Associated Press from his office, Sajith Premadasa said that if he wins the election in Parliament, he would ensure that "an elective dictatorship never, ever occurs" in Sri Lanka."That's what we should do. That is our function — catching those who looted Sri Lanka. That should be done through proper constitutional, legal, democratic procedures," Premadasa said.Sri Lanka has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertilizer, medicine and fuel for its 22 million people. Its rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because, before this crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.The protests underscored the dramatic fall of the Rajapaksa political clan that has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.The Rev. Jeewantha Peiris, a Catholic priest and protest leader, said the country had "come through a hard journey." "We are happy as a collective effort because this struggle of Sri Lanka was participated by all the citizens of Sri Lanka, even diaspora of Sri Lanka," he said.Sri Lanka remains a powder keg, and the military warned Thursday that it had powers to respond in case of chaos — a message some found ominous.The speaker urged the public to "create a peaceful atmosphere" for the democratic process and for Parliament to "function freely and conscientiously." |
| 6 people die after storm causes US highway pileup Posted: 16 Jul 2022 02:45 AM PDT SIX people have died after a dust storm fueled by wind gusts topping 60 mph caused a pileup Friday evening on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said.Twenty-one vehicles crashed and Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said authorities believe the weather was the cause."It appears as though there was heavy winds, causing a dust storm with zero visibility," he said.While the highway patrol did not have an immediate count of the number of injuries, Nelson said additional ambulances had to be called in from Billings to help.Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Twitter: "I'm deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We're grateful to our first responders for their service." Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who oversees the highway patrol, said in a statement: "The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders and investigating the incident. We will release more information as it becomes available and is appropriate out of respect of the lives lost and their loved ones."My prayers are with everyone affected by the tragic events during the dust storm in Big Horn County today," Knudsen added.The incident happened 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Hardin. A video from The Billings Gazette showed hundreds of tractor-trailers, campers and cars backed up for miles along the two eastbound lanes of the interstate.CauseThe dust storm's roots can be traced back several hours, when storms popped up in central southern Montana between 1 and 2 p.m. and slowly began moving east, according to Nick Vertz, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Billings.Those storms prompted a severe thunderstorm watch that covered Hardin and other parts of Montana from mid-afternoon until 9 p.m.Friday. Meteorologists forecasted the potential for isolated hail the size of a quarter, scattered wind gusts up to 75 mph (121 kph) and frequent lightning.A so-called "outflow" — or a surge of wind that's produced by storms but can travel faster than them — flew east/southeast about 30 miles (48 kilometers) ahead of the storms, Vertz said.A 40 mph (64 kph) gust of wind was recorded at the nearby Big Horn County Airport at 4:15 p.m. The crash was reported to the highway patrol at 4:28 p.m.By the airport weather station's next reading at 4:35 p.m., the gusts had picked up to 62 mph (100 kph). Another reading 20 minutes later recorded a gust of 64 mph (103 kph).The wind easily picked up dust — a product of recent temperatures into the 90s and triple digits over the last week — and reduced visibility to less than 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometers)."If they looked up in the sky while they're in Hardin, they probably didn't see much of what you'd think of for a thunderstorm cloud, maybe not even much at all," Vertz said. "It was just a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere." As first responders attempt to clear the wreckage, the meteorologist said they can expect to be safe from additional winds and thunderstorm activity."It should be a relatively clear, calm night for them," he said. (AP) |
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