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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Bomb damages tax office in southern Italy: police

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Beating Indians a huge boost: West Indies A coach

St Lucia, Jun 15, 2012 (PTI)

Pleased with the commitment shown by his team to beat India A in their last unofficial Test, West Indies A coach Hendy Springer said the fine show against a strong batting line-up has given the hosts a lot of confidence going into the third and final match here tomorrow.

Having lost the first match in Barbados against India A, West Indies A bounced back in style in the second game in Kingstown to register a convincing 125-run victory.
Stating that his team's win in the second game gives him a lot of satisfaction as Windies A are less experienced than the visitors, Springer said, "This Indian team (has a) top six who have done well at the first-class level, some of them have made triple-hundreds, so to bowl them out twice and for 94 in the second innings, is a huge boost.

"We are a much younger team, with far less experience at the first-class and international level, so every match is about learning -- learning about ourselves and learning from the opposition as well."

Chasing a target of 220, India A were bundled out for a paltry 94 as left-arm seamer Delorn Johnson (6/34) and skipper Veeraswamy Permaul (4/22) shared the spoils to help West Indies A level the three-match series 1-1.

"I am seeing improvement. I am seeing commitment. I am seeing hard work. We have a group of young men who want to do well, who are enjoying their cricket and who are giving their all," a West Indies Cricket Board release quoted Springer as saying.

"Everyone understands what is required. This positive approach, the belief in each other, is paying off. We went from a situation where a few players seemed a little intimidated going into that first match, to a place where we came to within two wickets of victory, to the present situation, where we proved to everyone that we can perform and win at this level.

"We will have that same kind of belief going into the final match on Saturday," he added. Springer also heaped praise on Johnson and Permaul.

"He (Johnson) bowled with pace and also got the ball to swing. He showed great control from over the wicket, and when he went around the wicket and got results. That match was a significant stepping stone in his development.

"The captain (Permaul) has also been doing a great job with the ball and also with the bat when required. He assessed the pitch in Kingstown very well and bowled with great control," said the coach.

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On bus tour, Romney takes economic pitch to heartland

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

London Olympics 2012: Versatile type O- blood in high demand for Games

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) estimate that the demand for blood type O- will surge by 70% during the 2012 Games.

Statistics show that during public holidays, demand for type O- blood - which can be transfused into any patient regardless of their own blood type - rises significantly.

During the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, demand was 69% higher, statistics show.

NHSBT urged donors, including those with other blood types, to come forward ahead of an "exceptionally busy" summer for blood banks.

Spokesman Jon Latham said: "Without O- blood donors, many live saving procedures could be delayed or made more risky for patients and of course we wouldn't be able to give transfusions to people with O- at all since they can only take blood of their own type.

"We're appealing to this elite group of blood donors to help us prepare for the unprecedented demand expected around the Olympics to make sure our health services have the essential stocks they need."

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Friday, June 15, 2012

US declassifies attacks in Yemen, Somalia

FILE - In this June 14, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in Cleveland. The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaida in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries, officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House is partially lifting the lid of secrecy on its counterterrorism campaign against al-Qaida in Yemen and Somalia by formally acknowledging for the first time that it is conducting lethal attacks in those countries.

The White House's semiannual report to Congress on the state of U.S. combat operations abroad, delivered Friday, mentions what has been widely reported for years but never formally acknowledged by the administration: The U.S. military has been taking "direct action" against members of al-Qaida and affiliates in Yemen and Somalia.

The report does not elaborate, but "direct action" is a military term of art that refers to a range of lethal attacks, which in the case of Yemen and Somalia include attacks by armed drones. The report does not mention drones, which are remote-controlled, pilotless aircraft equipped with surveillance cameras and sometimes armed with missiles.

The report applies only to U.S. military operations, including those by special operations forces ? not those conducted by the CIA.

"In all cases we are focused on those al-Qaida members and affiliates who pose a direct threat to the United States and to our national interests," Pentagon press secretary George Little said after the report's release. "This report contains information about these operations owing to their growing significance in our overall counterterrorism effort."

The report does not provide details of any military operations in either Yemen or Somalia. It merely acknowledges they have happened. Killings of terror suspects overseas are acknowledged by the administration, but it does not mention the involvement of drones. The CIA and military have separate drone fleets.

The decision by President Barack Obama to declassify the existence of the counterterror actions in those two countries amounts an incremental move toward greater openness about the use of U.S. force overseas. It does not reflect any change in the intensity or basic character of the U.S. campaign to defeat al-Qaida.

A previous step in the direction of greater official transparency came in April when the White House's counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, made the first formal confirmation that the U.S. uses armed drones against terrorists. But he did not mention their use in specific countries.

The new information in Friday's report comes amid outcries from some in Congress about leaks to the news media about details of classified activities such as the existence of a White House "kill list" of targeted al-Qaida militants. The accusation, mostly by Republicans, is that the White House has orchestrated the leaks to improve Obama's re-election chances, an allegation the president has rejected as "offensive" and "wrong."

Three administration officials who briefed The Associated Press on the decision to declassify the existence of the military's counterterrorism campaigns in Yemen and Somalia said Obama determined that the time was ripe, in part because the U.S. has built closer relations with the Yemeni government and with governments interested in eliminating extremist elements in Somalia. Somalia has not had a fully functioning government since 1991.

The officials said the declassification of further details in future reports to Congress would remain under White House review.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the White House is required to report to Congress every six months on U.S. combat operations abroad. Friday's report includes a secret attachment with classified details, which was not released publicly.

The last report, on Dec. 15, 2011, made no mention of Yemen or Somalia. Instead it said that in relation to efforts against al-Qaida, the U.S. was working with partners "with a particular focus on countries within the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility," which is a broad swath of territory that includes the entire Middle East and Central Asia.

Friday's report was more explicit. It said that in Somalia the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaida and al-Qaida-associated elements of a militant group called al-Shabaab.

"In a limited number of cases, the U.S. military has taken direct action in Somalia against members of al-Qaida, including those who are also members of al-Shabaab, who are engaged in efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against the United States and our interests," it said.

It said the U.S. military also has been working closely with the Yemeni government to "operationally dismantle and ultimately eliminate" the terrorist threat posed by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.

It called AQAP "the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qaida today."

"Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and senior leaders in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests," the report said.

___

Robert Burns can be followed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated Press

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Southern California home prices, sales rising

Southern California home prices rose to a 20-month high in May, buoyed by sales in expensive coastal areas, according to a survey by research firm DataQuick.

The median price for new and existing homes sold in a six-county region reached $295,000 in May, up 5.4 percent from $280,000 a year ago and up 1.7 percent from $290,00 in April, the San Diego-based company said.

May?s median price was highest since $295,000 in September 2010 and was the second straight month of on-year gains, following 13 months of year-on-year falls.

The better numbers are a result of higher demand, a significant drop in the share of transactions that are foreclosed properties and a greater portion of sales are occurring in the higher-cost coastal markets, the study said. Last month, sales in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties represented about 70 percent of all activity, up from 67.6 percent a year ago.

The number of Southern California homes surged nearly 21 percent from last year to 22,192, with gains the strongest in homes priced above $300,000.

The number of homes sold in May for less than $200,000 rose 7 percent from a year earlier, while the number that sold for $200,000 to $400,000 increased 18.9 percent, DataQuick said. Sales between $300,000 and $800,000 jumped 23.1 percent, and sales over $800,000 rose 11.8 percent.

"The market is being slowly nursed back to health by low interest rates, a modestly improved economy and, we suspect, a widening sense that the housing sector is at or near bottom. There's still plenty of uncertainty swirling around out there," DataQuick President John Walsh said in the report.

May?s median price was still nearly 42 percent below its peak of $505,000 in the middle of 2007, though it was 19 percent higher than the bottom of $247,000 in April 2009.

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Chasing China's Shoppers

By LAURIE BURKITT And BOB DAVIS

QINGDAO, China?Shopping for a water heater at Jiangsu Five Star Appliance, first-time homeowner Zhong Lei listens intently as a salesman explains how a digital-control system makes taking a shower more comfortable.

Laurie Burkitt/The Wall Street Journal

Tan Peng shops for her new apartment at a Five Star store in Qingdao, China.

"We need to learn about all these features because our parents didn't have most of this stuff," Mr. Zhong, a 31-year-old military employee, explains later.

He buys the water heater?as well as a refrigerator, a washing machine and a $950 flat-screen television set.

Mr. Zhong's experience at the Best Buy Co. unit offers a glimpse inside China's evolving middle class.

China is counting on rising domestic demand from this rapidly growing segment. So, too, are Western exporters, faced with anemic growth in Europe and North America.

But China's middle class isn't Charleston's. Western companies have misjudged Chinese shoppers' priorities and clumsily tried to export U.S.-style stores.

"We were stupid and arrogant," says David Deno, who was Best Buy's Asia chief until recently.

But through trial and error, China has become a rare bright spot for Best Buy, which has been pummeled by slumping U.S. sales and racked by management turmoil culminating with the April resignation of its chief executive.

The company is betting that its Five Star subsidiary can make China the retailer's largest overseas market, one that could rival U.S. operations. Five Star has about 200 stores and by 2016 plans to add up to 500 more, targeting $4 billion in sales. Five Star declines to disclose last year's sales.

China's Consumption Paradox

See charts that track China's middle class, spending priorities, credit-card use and more.

The potential buying power of China's middle class is vast. About 247 million Chinese, 18.2% of the population, qualify as middle class, meaning their households spend between $10 and $100 a day on average, according to Brookings Institution economist Homi Kharas.

If current patterns continue, the number will soar to 607 million by 2020, and spending by China's middle class will rival that of the U.S., after adjusting for inflation and purchasing power.

The trend has the potential to remake China. With export markets weakening in Europe and the U.S., economists say, Beijing needs to lift spending by its own middle class or risk that growth will slow sharply. Steady middle-class growth also could help China's trading partners, bolstering a market for computers, cars and trendy clothing, as well as for commodities such as copper, oil and cotton.

China already is the world's largest market for some middle-class emblems, including cars, personal computers and smartphones. And multinational companies show no signs of taking their feet off the gas. Whirlpool Corp. plans to boost distribution of fridges, washing machines and other appliances to China's inland cities. Coca-Cola Co. plans to invest $4 billion over the next three years.

"For fast-moving, everyday consumer goods, there are some broad megatrends that will continue to push demand forward, which are ongoing urbanization in China and then, of course, the related growth of the middle class," Hein Schumacher, the China chief for food maker H.J. Heinz Co., told analysts last month.

Nicolas Wang, Five Star's chief executive, says that when the company opened its first store in 2001, he didn't even know the Chinese term for middle class. It's no wonder; less than 3% of the population fit the description then, says Mr. Kharas, the Brookings economist.

But many retailers jumped in anyway. Some quickly prospered, such as Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC.

Mattel Inc., however, shut its Barbie stores in March of last year, after learning that Chinese parents wanted their girls to model themselves after studious children, not flirts.

Home Depot Inc. closed about half its stores here last year, finding scant interest among Chinese for do-it-yourself renovation. Mattel says it will promote more educational toys in China. Home Depot is revamping its strategy.

Best Buy used a two-track approach. It bought an initial 75% stake in Five Star in 2006. It also opened nine Best Buy stores, figuring that Chinese shoppers would covet the same gadgets Americans did, like espresso machines and surround-sound home-entertainment systems.

But Chinese consumers are different. For one thing, they are poorer. Median household income in Chinese cities was about $13,400 in 2010, according to Moody's Analytics, about a quarter the U.S. figure.

The Chinese middle class also is at a different stage of development. Many Chinese want appliances and basic TV sets to fill their first apartments. Chinese on average also save more than 30% of household income, vastly more than Americans, and rarely use credit cards. And many Chinese shoppers expect to haggle over prices?a foreign concept for the U.S. company.

Last year, Best Buy shut its China outlets, figuring that opening U.S.-style stores had been a mistake, and focused exclusively on building the Five Star brand.

Five Star targets China's lesser-known cities, where some people are just beginning to develop consumer habits. About 70% of its customers are young families earning around 5,000 yuan, or roughly $800, a month and looking for products that a decade ago only the rich could afford.

The moment a customer starts browsing a big-ticket item, a Five Star sales clerk will offer the shopper cherry tomatoes, a cup of hot water to sip or some time in a massage chair. Later, the clerk will try to persuade the customer to buy the chair.

Laurie Burkitt/Wall Street Journal

Newlyweds study Hisense television sets at a Five Star store.

The chain also offers the services of "solution experts," who help customers sort through the conflicting claims of manufacturers' representatives who work in the stores, where goods are organized by manufacturer, rather than by product.

Five Star's experts give out their telephone numbers so customers can call at any time. The goal is to build a web of loyal shoppers through referrals, borrowing from a Chinese custom of relying on a network of trusted acquaintances for advice.

One Five Star shopping expert, Wang Bo, says he has been invited to a half-dozen customer weddings. "I earn their trust and give them the smile and service of an angel," he says.

Growing sophistication among some Chinese middle-class customers has led Five Star to upgrade in some cities. The Qingdao store has higher-priced electronics than older outlets?for example, cameras and high-definition video equipment for a first voyage overseas or a road trip across China.

With brighter lighting, additional seating and customer-assistance stations, the store in this port city of 8.4 million people also has more of the trappings of a stateside Best Buy.

Best Buy also is giving Five Star a few tips from the U.S. playbook. The subsidiary displays mobile phones, which Chinese consumers regularly upgrade, in the front of the store to draw traffic.

Five Star also is working to develop its own brand as a retailer, helping it to compete with larger, brand-conscious Chinese chains, such as Suning Appliance Co. and GOME Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd.

Following its parent's lead, Five Star opened a small research department last year to conduct consumer surveys. When it learned that some customers considered the chain stodgy, Five Star developed a new icon: cartoon characters that appear to be drawn by Hollywood animators.

Tan Peng and her fianc?, Hou Huimao, have a combined monthly income of 4,000 yuan. On a recent visit to Five Star's Qingdao outlet, they purchased a washing machine, a refrigerator and a flat-screen TV for their new two-bedroom apartment.

On their way out, the 28-year-olds stop to pore over an iPad but decide the time isn't right.

"We have to go to where we can get the best bargains," Ms. Tan says. "After all, we're not in the upper class."

Write to Laurie Burkitt at laurie.burkitt@wsj.com and Bob Davis at bob.davis@wsj.com

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