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ARY NEWS

Reuters

  • Hamilton cruises to dream win in Belgium

    With the sun shining over the Ardennes forests, and rain holding off until after the finish, Hamilton took the chequered flag two seconds ahead of Rosberg in Mercedes’ seventh one-two in 11 races.

    What drama there was unfolded behind them, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel lucky to escape unscathed from a 300kph blowout on the penultimate lap that robbed him of third place in his 150th grand prix.

    Instead, Frenchman Romain Grosjean completed the podium for troubled Lotus.

    “Today was a dream and the car was fantastic all weekend,” declared Hamilton, who controlled the race from the opening lap — after an aborted first start — and never looked threatened by his German rival.

    “I was never in a position where I felt nervous, I had great pace in the car. There was no real need to push more than I had to,” he added.

    The two collided at Spa last year, with Hamilton having to retire, but the risk of that happening again receded when Rosberg made a slow getaway off the front row and fell to fourth after the first lap.

    “I just completely messed up the start,” said the German, who had hoped to capitalise on changed starting procedures that leave more to the driver and prevent engineers from helping remotely.

    “Lewis did a great job, he deserved to win.”

  • Swatch CEO signals plans to add to smartwatch range

    The Biel, Switzerland-based company is competing with Apple and other watchmakers in the budding smartwatch market.

    “Our product is called Touch Zero One and that gives enough room for Zero Five, Zero Nine,” Nick Hayek was quoted as saying by Switzerland’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. “The Touch Zero One is not the end of the progression.”

    Hayek told the paper Swatch would launch Touch Zero Two at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

    The Swiss company’s strategy appears primarily to revolve around including individual tech features in different models rather than going head to head with Apple to create all-in-one smartwatches combining many functions.

    On top of its Touch Zero One, which can track the distance the wearer travels and help beach volleyball players measure the power of their hits, Swatch is planning to launch watches with an embedded “near field communication” chip this year.

  • Federer beats Djokovic for seventh Cincinnati title

    The Swiss second seed, playing Djokovic for the first time since losing to him in the Wimbledon final for a second straight year last month, brought his record number of Cincinnati titles to seven with the win.

    Federer, who did not concede a service break all week, easily handled his service games throughout the match, losing only 13 points on his serve. He also employed an attacking style that gave Djokovic fits, winning 15 of 21 net points in the first set.

    After cruising through the first set tiebreak, Federer earned the only break of the match in the second game of the second set en route to sealing the win in 90 minutes.

    “I tried to really mix it up on his second serve and I was hoping to serve good enough myself to keep me out of trouble,” Federer said in his courtside interview.

    “He had that one bad game at the beginning of the second set, which made the difference in the match.”

    The win will give Federer a jolt of confidence going into the Aug. 31-Sept 13 U.S. Open where he will be seeking a sixth title at Flushing Meadows and first since 2008.

    With the win, Federer also denied longtime rival Djokovic from completing the set of all nine ATP Masters titles and took a 21-20 edge in career head-to-head meetings.

    “It’s now the fifth time I’ve been in this final. I guess I’ll have to wait until Roger retires,” Djokovic joked.

    “I knew coming into the match he was going to be aggressive. No question about it. So I tried to handle it. I did well until the tiebreak in the first set. After that, he was just the better player.”

    Federer will now move into second spot in the world rankings on Monday, which means the two rivals could meet again in the final at Flushing Meadows.

    After the match, Federer assessed his game going into the year’s final grand slam.

    “Good, regardless of whether I would have won or not,” said Federer. “I was well prepared. I had a good Wimbledon, a good offseason, recovered well and trained really hard. I knew I was going to be ready for the Open.”

  • Hollywood actress Megan Fox files for divorce

    The filing in Los Angeles Superior Court cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce. The filing came after media reports this week that the couple had separated.

    Megan Fox, 29, is best known for starring in the blockbuster “Transformers” movie in 2007, and in a 2009 sequel. In 2008 she was named the world’s sexiest woman in a poll by the magazine FHM.

    Megan Fox

    She has said she met Austin Green, who appeared in the 1990s television show “Beverly Hills, 90210,” when she was 18 and he was 30. They went on to date for years and married in 2010.

    The couple have two children together.

    Megan Fox

  • Iran says an OPEC emergency meeting may stop oil price slide

    Algeria said earlier this month that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries could hold an emergency meeting to discuss the drop in oil prices but other OPEC delegates said no meeting was planned.

    “Iran endorses an emergency OPEC meeting and would not disagree with it,” Zanganeh told reporters in Tehran, according to Shana.

    U.S. oil prices fell below $40 a barrel on Friday for the first time since the 2009 financial crisis, pressured by signs of oversupply in the United States and weak Chinese manufacturing data.

    OPEC is not due to meet until Dec. 4.

    While OPEC rules say a simple majority of the 12 OPEC members is needed to call an emergency meeting before then, some OPEC delegates say a meeting is unlikely unless Saudi Arabia is in favor.

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, and other Gulf states pushed OPEC’s strategy shift last year to defend market share rather than cut output to support prices.

    Relatively wealthy, they are better able to cope with low oil prices than Iran, Venezuela or African members.

    OPEC delegates see little chance of the exporting group diverting from its policy of defending market share, although the latest drop in prices is starting to sour the business mood even in Saudi Arabia.

  • Sangakkara makes 18 in final knock, India sense win

    For the fourth successive innings in the series, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the 37-year-old left-hander to send groans across the P Sara Oval.

    Sangakkara walked out to a guard-of-honour by the Indians and the umpires and nearly ran himself out soon after a mix-up with opener Dimuth Karunaratne.

    The southpaw unleashed the trademark flick and straight drive but could not convert the start, edging Ashwin to gully.

    India rode Ajinkya Rahane’s 126 to reach 325-8 before declaring to set Sri Lanka, who lead the three-test series 1-0, a difficult 413-run victory target.

    Ashwin dismissed Kaushal Silva and Sangakkara to peg back Sri Lanka who were 72-2 at close, still 341 runs behind the target.

    Skipper Angelo Mathews (23) and Karunaratne (25) will return to continue Sri Lanka’s resistance on the final day of the test on Monday.

    Earlier, having taken an 87-run first innings lead, India resumed on 70-1 and scored freely.

    Rahane was characteristically composed while Murali Vijay (82) displayed aggression by hitting both paceman Dushmantha Chameera and off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal (4-118) for six.

    Kaushal had the last laugh as he ended the 140-run stand trapping Vijay leg before after the batsman went for a sweep shot and missed the line.

    The 22-year-old off-spinner dealt another blow when he accounted for rival captain Virat Kohli who also fell leg before.

    Rahane showed the temperament that prompted his promotion to number three in the batting order but was not afraid to attempt an occasional cheeky shot, like the reverse-sweep for four off Kaushal that brought up his 50.

    He added 85 runs with Rohit Sharma (34) to consolidate India’s position and took 212 balls to complete his century before Kaushal dismissed both.

    India scored at a healthy four-an-over run rate in the second session and their only worry appeared to be the fitness of wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha, who retired hurt with a strain but returned to bat again.

  • The Ashes: Australia seal consolation win, England take spoils

    Australia skipper Michael Clarke celebrated an emphatic win on a rain-disrupted fourth day of his final test match, Peter Siddle proving the inspiration with figures of 4-35 as England were bowled out for 286 at The Oval.

    “I am proud of the way we played here, showing grit and determination and playing cricket the Australian way,” Clarke told reporters.

    “Congratulations to England, they thoroughly deserved to win the series. Today was not about me but about the team and I am incredibly proud to have been their captain.”

    Cook could not conceal his delight at winning the series 3-2 after losing 5-0 in Australia in 2013-14.

    “We can’t let this loss take the gloss off a special summer,” a beaming Cook said before being presented with the urn.

    “Credit to Australia and the character they showed to bounce back here. They have shown what a good team they are and to have beaten them three times is a credit to our guys.

    “The fact we were underdogs before the series helped us. We were able to play with a bit of freedom and put them under pressure at crucial times.”

    England, 203 for six overnight, lost their first wicket of the day when Mark Wood was trapped lbw by Siddle for six, the Australians winning a review after the umpire initially ruled it not out.

    Jos Buttler, on 42, played a loose drive at Mitchell Marsh and was well caught low down by Mitchell Starc at extra cover before Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad dug in ahead of the forecast rain which arrived 45 minutes before the scheduled lunch interval.

    The hosts resumed in the afternoon after more than two hours play was lost to the weather on 258 for eight and Siddle soon bowled Broad for 11.

    Siddle had Moeen caught by wicketkeeper Peter Nevill for 35 to clinch victory and the Australian players gave Clarke a guard of honour as he led them off the field for the final time.

  • Djokovic, Federer advance to Cincinnati final

    Serb Djokovic, who beat Federer in the Wimbledon final for a second consecutive year last month, rallied to beat Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov 4-6 7-6(5) 6-2 while the Swiss second seed beat third seed Andy Murray 6-4 7-6(6).

    Djokovic, who needs a win on Sunday to become the first player to claim all nine ATP Masters titles, lost the first set but escaped a nervy second-set tiebreak in Cincinnati that took the wind out of his 66th-ranked opponent’s sails.

    In the tiebreak, Djokovic was two points from defeat at 4-5 but dug deep and found a way to escape the jam, ultimately taking the set with a cross-court forehand winner.

    “(Djokovic) just plays more carefully on the big points. You have to beat him and go for the risk,” said Dolgopolov.

    “I really believed I could win and my game was enough to beat him. It was just the situation. You know, those few points decided everything.”

    Djokovic had squandered a chance to level the match in the ninth game of the second set when he was broken to love before the players each held serve over the next three games to force the tiebreak which the Serb won to ensure a third set.

    Djokovic then broke a disheartened Dolgopolov twice en route to ending the match in two hours, 20 minutes and improving his all-time record versus the Ukrainian to 5-0.

    Completing the set of ATP Masters titles will be no easy feat for Djokovic with six-times Cincinnati champion Federer standing in his way.

    The Swiss got off to a fast start against Murray, earning a break in the third game of the match en route to capturing the first set in 38 minutes with a forehand winner down the line.

    The players rode their serves to a tiebreak in the second set, where Federer went on to convert on his second match point.

    The victory sets up the latest instalment of the Federer-Djokovic rivalry, knotted at 20 wins apiece.

    The match will be their fifth meeting in 2015, with Federer winning on the hard courts of Dubai and Djokovic emerging victorious at Indian Wells, Rome and Wimbledon.

  • NATO contractors among 12 killed in Kabul bomb attack

    The suicide attack outside a hospital on a residential street at rush hour killed mainly Afghan civilians and injured scores more, heightening the anger felt in Kabul after a barrage of deadly blasts this month killed dozens.

    The attacker drove his car towards an armored pick-up truck belonging to contractor DynCorp International which was torn open and left twisted and blackened by the blast. Dozens of vehicles were destroyed, including a school van.

    One U.S. contractor died when the bomb exploded, and two died from their wounds, the NATO coalition known as Resolute Support said late on Saturday. It did not name them.

    The U.S. embassy in Kabul condemned the bombing.

    “The United States remains committed to assisting our Afghan partners in their efforts to ensure a peaceful future,” it said in a statement.

    Contractors such as DynCorp, which has a long involvement in the war and provided bodyguards for the last president, have frequently been targeted. Four U.S. DynCorp employees were killed in a similar Kabul suicide attack in 2013.

    Bombings have increased in Kabul since the government and the Taliban in July confirmed that Taliban leader Mullah Omar died two years ago, putting paid to hopes that the insurgents would quickly return to the negotiating table.

    The U.N. mission in Afghanistan called for an “immediate halt to all such disproportionate attacks” in civilian-populated areas.

    Fighting killed 5,000 civilians in the first half of this year, more than at any point since war started in 2001.

    The violence has strained Afghanistan’s ties with Pakistan, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accusing the neighboring country of not doing enough to stop militants planning attacks from training camps that he says lie across the border.

    Pakistan called the latest attack on civilians “cowardice” and promised to fight against “a common enemy”.

    But, referring to his belief that Islamabad only cracks down on fighters who launch attacks on its soil, Ghani issued a statement calling on Pakistan to “use the same definition of terrorism” at home and in Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s chief executive officer, Abdullah Abdullah, who shares power with Ghani and has been critical of Pakistan’s record on fighting the Taliban, called the attack a war crime.

    “We will do everything to protect our people and our country and go after terrorists and our enemies anywhere they are,” he said.

    The Taliban, fighting to re-establish hard-line Islamist rule 14 years after they were ousted, denied they was behind the attack. No group has claimed responsibility.

    Security sources said the contractors worked for DynCorp International. The U.S. company, which provides training, security and aviation maintenance to the NATO mission and the Afghan military, confirmed it was the target.- Reuters

  • Autistic traits linked to creative problem-solving

    Researchers surveyed 312 people online, asking if they had autism and assessing whether they might have some traits of the disorder even if they hadn’t been formally diagnosed with it.

    They tested participants’ creativity by seeking interpretations of images designed to be seen more than one way – such as a picture that might be viewed as either a rabbit or a duck. Then they gave participants one minute to name as many uses as possible for ordinary objects like a brick or a paper clip.

    Compared to people without any indication of autism, the individuals who said they were diagnosed with autism and the participants without a diagnosis who exhibited many traits of the disorder generally offered fewer responses to these queries, but they also tended to have more unusual answers, the study found.

    “We think that perhaps the people with autistic traits use more effortful methods to produce answers to divergent thinking tasks (not based on obvious word associations or common uses for similar items) and therefore come up with fewer but better responses,” said lead author Dr. Catherine Best of the University of Stirling in the U.K., in email to Reuters Health.

    Around one percent of people may have autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some people with autism may be exceptionally gifted in certain ways, but people with the disorder can also be severely challenged in some aspects of life.

    To explore the link between autism and creativity, Best and colleagues examined survey responses for 75 participants who reported an autism diagnosis and 237 people with no autism diagnosis. Some of those undiagnosed people did, however, display autistic traits during the study.

    And autistic traits, with or without a formal diagnosis, were linked to an ability to see more than one image in ambiguous figures, based on results of survey questions on pictures designed to look like two things at once.

    The authors acknowledge in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders that because they lumped together people with diagnosed autism and people without a diagnosis who displayed many traits of the disorder, they can’t say for sure whether the people with a clinical diagnosis might have disproportionately influenced the results for this group.

    “There is no black and white dividing line between mild autistic traits and having a label of autism, and geeks and nerds in Silicon Valley,” Temple Grandin, an autism activist and livestock researcher at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, said by email.

    “Mild autism can provide some intellectual advantages and severe autism is a great handicap,” said Grandin, who wasn’t involved in the study. “If all the autism traits were removed, we would lose many creative minds in music, art, math and science.”

    It’s possible that some people with autism may focus intensely on their own thoughts, to the exclusion of listening to others speaking to them, and this might lead autistic people to generate less conventional thoughts and expressions, said Nira Mashal, head of the brain and language lab at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel.

    “The finding that people with high levels of autistic traits offer fewer responses to creative questions, but more original ideas does not surprise me,” Mashal, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.