Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell reunited on

Associated Press
First Posted 07:38:00 05/09/2011

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Close this Fox announced Sunday that the two former "American Idol" judges have reunited to assess singing talent on Cowell's new television show "The X Factor."

The competition debuts this fall. Besides Abdul and her longtime sparring partner Cowell, the judges include British pop star Cheryl Cole and Grammy-winning producer Antonio "L.A." Reid.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that Abdul would be part of the panel, which taped its first judging session Sunday at the University of Southern California.

"This show would never have been the same without Paula and I can't believe I am saying this — I have missed her a lot, and I am thrilled she's on the show," Cowell said in a written statement.

"I am excited beyond words to be a part of 'The X Factor,'" Abdul added. "I'm also delighted and grateful to be sitting next to Simon again ... but you might want to check back with me in a week or two!"

The 48-year-old singer, dancer and choreographer reigned on "Idol" as the nice if sometimes dizzy-seeming judge who often clashed colorfully with Cowell in his role as resident bully. She left "Idol" in 2009, after eight seasons.

Announcement of Abdul's involvement in the new show was held up as negotiations continued until the eve of the first taping, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Fox and the show's producers had not authorized public comment.

Representatives for Abdul did not respond to requests for comment.

Late Saturday, Fox confirmed that co-hosts of "The X Factor" will be Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger. Jones is a popular TV host in Britain. Scherzinger is a former member of the girl group the Pussycat Dolls who has appeared on the British version of "The X Factor."

The competition is open to solo singers and vocal groups age 12 and up. The winner will get a $5 million record contract.

Djokovic shatters Nadal claycourt rule in Madrid win

By Scott Williams
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 07:29:00 05/09/2011







MADRID--Novak Djokovic extended his victory streak to 34 matches when he stunned Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 to win the Madrid Masters on Sunday, handing the world number one Spaniard his first loss on clay in two years.

Nadal, the defending champion, was last beaten on the surface in the French Open fourth round by Robin Soderling in May, 2009, making it 37 matches without a defeat.

World number two Djokovic has now won three straight Masters 1000 trophies over Nadal after defeating the number one at Indian Wells and Miami in March and April respectively.

Sunday's win was also the Serb's first over Nadal on clay after losing their nine previous meetings on the dirt.

His winning streak is made up of 32 matches in 2011 and his two Davis Cup victories in December.

Djokovic's start is the best to a season since John McEnroe in 1984 when he went 42-0.

He suffered his last loss against Roger Federer in the semi-finals at the World Tour Finals in London on November 27, 2010.

"I walked onto the court thinking I could win," said Djokovic. "I'm very happy with the way I played. This court was fast today, and I took advantage."

Djokovic had kind words for a distraught Nadal, who faces an immediate turnaround on court with the clay season continuing in Rome next week before the start of the French Open on May 22.

"It's always a pleasure playing you - you are a great champion."

Nadal said he had been hoping to be "third time lucky" after his losses to Djokovic in Indian Wells and Miami.

"I'll have to keep working to try and beat you," said the world number one. "You are really off to a great start of the season."

Djokovic constructed his two-hour, 17-minute win through 27 winners and 26 unforced errors, while Nadal, playing in front of 15,000 of his home public at the Caya Magica, had just 17 winners.

With his eighth career Masters triumph, Djokovic has lifted trophies at six different venues in the elite series.

Djokovic raced away to a stunning 4-0 lead with two breaks of Nadal which left the Spaniard on the back foot.

Nadal retrieved them by the ninth game when he pulled to 4-5.

He then saved two set points in the tenth game, levelling for 5-5 before Djokovic nosed ahead by taking the set on a net cord winner after 69 minutes.

The pair traded breaks in the first two games of the second before the Serb settled, finally earning the triumph with a concluding break of the top seed.

Nadal saved one match point put then hit a backhand wide on a second in the final game.

Gunter Sachs, ex-husband of Bardot, kills self

Associated Press
First Posted 06:04:00 05/09/2011

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Close this GENEVA—German-born photographer Gunter Sachs, best known for his playboy lifestyle and brief marriage to French actress Brigitte Bardot, has committed suicide. He was 78.

In a statement released Sunday by his family at his request, Sachs said he chose to end his life after concluding that he was suffering from an incurable degenerative disease affecting his memory and ability to communicate.

"I have always stood up to big challenges," the statement said. It provided no details on the timing or circumstances of his death, but German weekly Focus reported that Sachs shot himself Saturday at his home in the exclusive Swiss Alpine resort of Gstaad.

Sachs was born into a wealthy industrialist family in 1932, and used his inheritance and business acumen to fund a glamorous lifestyle that fascinated many in post-war Germany of the 1960s and 70s.

German tabloids reported extensively on his affairs with celebrities and friendships with artists such as Andy Warhol.

Sachs also made a name for himself as a photographer, documentary filmmaker and art collector. Swiss business magazine Bilanz estimated his fortune at 300-400 million Swiss francs ($340-$455 million).

Sachs is survived by Bardot, to whom he was married from 1966-1969, his third wife Mirja Larsson and their sons Christian and Alexander, and son Rolf from his first marriage.

A funeral will take place in the presence of his close family.

Bolivia at risk of megaquake—study

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 05:13:00 05/09/2011

PARIS—Some two million people in Bolivia face the risk of a magnitude 8.9 megaquake, 125 times stronger than the previously calculated potential maximum, according a study published Sunday.

The findings, reported in Nature Geoscience, came as a surprise, the researchers said.

"No one suspected that the previous estimates were too low," said Benjamin Brooks, a geophysicist at the University of Hawaii Manoa and lead author of the study.

Earlier calculations had set the most powerful expected earthquake for the region east of the central Andes mountains at magnitude 7.5, based in part on a relatively quiet seismic history.

But a careful analysis of Global Positioning System (GPS) data from the eastern flank of the mountain chain showed a buildup of stress consistent with a maximum magnitude of 8.7 to 8.9, Brooks said.






Tracking tiny changes in the location of GPS stations enables scientists to measure surface velocity to within a fraction of a millimeter per year.

The data showed that the area to the west of the Mandeyapecua thrust fault, which runs north-south, has moved far more than the area east of the fault, pointing to a dangerous accumulation of pressure.

A shallow section of the fault is locked in place over a length of about 100 kilometres (60 miles), the researchers found.

"Rupture of the entire locked section by one earthquake could result in shaking of magnitudes up to 8.9," Brooks said in a statement.

There is no way to know when such a quake might happen – or if it will happen at all, he added.

A series of smaller temblors could release stress without unleashing a Big One.

To follow up, Brooks is probing the ancient seismic history of the region to determine the dates and sizes of past earthquakes, and to find out if one that size has ever occurred there.

"We hope that this information will be widely disseminated and considered in Bolivia by the people – including the general population, engineers, planners, policy-makers – who may be most affected," he said.

Several major earthquakes in recent years – including the magnitude 9.0 monster off the coast of Japan in March, and an 8.8 quake in Chile in February 2010 – have prompted some experts to reassess earlier forecasts.

"We probably should re-evaluate our estimates of the maximum sizes of earthquakes that could strike all fault areas," Ross Stein, a seismologist at the US Geological Survey (USGS), said shortly after the Japan quake.

Japan urges shutdown of quake-threatened nuclear plant

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 11:20:00 05/08/2011

TOKYO – A nuclear plant located near a tectonic faultline should be shut down, Japan's trade and industry minister said Sunday, but he denied the government would reverse its policy on atomic power.

In a television interview, Banri Kaieda asked Chubu Electric Power to accept Prime Minister Naoto Kan's call for the suspension of operations at the Hamaoka plant southwest of Tokyo.

"This is our determination," Kaieda, whose ministry supervises power suppliers, said in the interview, while insisting that the government did not have the legal power to order an immediate closure.

"People's opinions are also important. We would like Chubu Electric Power to make a decision by taking various aspects into consideration."

Attention has been focused on nuclear reactors across the country since the Fukushima Daiichi plant was crippled by a devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, sparking the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

Seismologists have long warned that a major quake is far overdue in the Tokai region where the Hamaoka plant is located. It is only 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital and its huge population.

Chubu Electric Power held a board meeting on Saturday but put off a decision about what course of action it should take following Kan's announcement.

Kaieda, however, said he had no plans to ask for a halt to operations at other nuclear power sites, stressing that the call for a stoppage at Hamaoka did not amount to an immediate change in its nuclear power policy.

"The danger of earthquakes is outstandingly high, compared with that of other nuclear power plants," he said.







Calls are growing for a review of the government's energy policy as resource-poor Japan, highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, meets about one third of its energy needs by using atomic power.

Pacquiao beats Mosley to retain WBO crown

By Francis Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 12:54:00 05/08/2011

Filed Under: Pacquiao, Boxing, Sport



MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) Manny Pacquiao hammered out a lopsided unanimous decision victory over American Shane Mosley, using his speed and power to the hilt to retain his WBO welterweight crown Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Two judges gave all the rounds to the Filipino pound-for-pound icon while one handed Mosley a round. The scores came out 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107.

"He felt my power so he didn't want to fight toe to toe," said Pacquiao, who had Mosley on his heels the entire 12 rounds. "I was surprised he just ran and ran.

"He was always running every time I wanted to throw a lot of punches."

Pacquiao knocked Shane Mosley down in the third round with a one-two capped with a left straight that floored the challenger at the 1:17 mark. Mosley spent the rest of the bout in circles, staying away from the crisp combinations the Filipino kept uncorking.

Mosley floored Pacquiao in the 10th with a push, but referee Kenny Bayless inexplicably ruled it a knockdown. None of the judges seemed to have bought it judging from the scores. Television replays showed that Pacquiao was throwing a punch off balance, slipped and went down with a little help from Mosley's right hand. Bayless apologized to Pacquiao after the fight for the mistake.

Pacquiao didn't get the knockout he wanted, but the Filipino congressman kept his spot as boxing's top pound-for-pound fighter.

The southpaw from Sarangani, who suffered from leg cramps in the middle rounds, dominated from the opening bell as Mosley spent the majority of the fight in full retreat, bringing back memories for Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach of a similar one-sided fight with Joshua Clottey last year.

Mosley had claimed he would expose Pacquiao's weaknesses but there was no turning back the clock for the 39-year-old four-time world champion, who looked every bit his age.

"He (Mosley) didn't try to win," Roach said. "He just tried to survive and when you get to that point in boxing it is time to call it a day."

Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) was the aggressor, pushing forward and trying without success to go for the knockout, especially in the third and 11th and 12th rounds.

After the fight, the multi-talented Pacquiao was scheduled to head across the Las Vegas strip to the Mandalay Bay hotel for a singing engagement with his band at a "Beach Party" in his honor.

In keeping with the party theme, he appeared at the post-fight news conference with American socialite Paris Hilton joining him and his wife, Jinky, at the podium.

Pacquiao threw 552 punches compared to just 260 for Mosley. The biggest problem for Pacquiao wasn't his opponent but rather cramping in his left leg which began in the fourth round.

"I told my coach to press my legs because I can't move," Pacquiao said. "My legs tightened up during the fight. I couldn't move. It is the same thing that happened to me against (Juan Manuel) Marquez. Now it has come back."

Mosley said he didn't hear the chorus of boos and denied that he is showing his age. Even though he comes from nearby Pomona, California, Mosley's fans were heavily outnumbered at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"You can't blame age," Mosley said. "Manny is an exceptional fighter. He truly is the pound-for-pound king. He has speed and power that I have never felt before.

"He surprised me with that power with the knockdown. That's the most legitimate knockdown on me in a long time."

Indeed it is the first time Mosley has been knocked down in nine years, since losing to Vernon Forrest in 12 rounds.

Pacquiao earned close to $15 million while Mosley collected about $5 million.

Up next for Pacquiao is a third match with Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

Pacquiao was defending the title he won from Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in 2009, where he stopped his rival in the 12th to become the first fighter to win titles in seven different weight classes. A victory over Antonio Margarito gave Pacquiao an unprecedented eight division crown.

Pacquiao extended his win streak to 14 bouts and improved his career record to 53-3 with two drawn.

Pacquiao was supposed to fight Floyd Mayweather last year but that fell through in a dispute over drug testing. Pacquiao said Saturday that his legacy is solid with or without a Mayweather fight on his resume.

"I don't care about that fight," Pacquiao said. "I am satisfied with everything that I have done in boxing."

With reports from Agence France-Presse, Associated Press

Taiwan deploys new anti-ship missile

Associated Press
First Posted 10:55:00 05/08/2011

Filed Under: Defense, Military


TAIPEI, Taiwan – A newspaper in Taiwan is reporting that the island has begun to deploy a new locally developed supersonic ship-to-ship missile.

The mass circulation Liberty Times says in Sunday's report that Taiwan has deployed the Hsiung Feng III missile on various military ships.

Analysts say the missile is capable of attacking fuel tanks and ammunition depots on a vessel, and that it could be used against Chinese aircraft carrier battle groups. The missile was first unveiled during a military parade in late October 2007.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense declined to comment.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims the island as its own.