Norwich held off a late fight-back from 10-man Wimbledon to claim victory in a thrilling match at Carrow Road.
Damien Francis opened the scoring against his old club, and a brace from Mark Rivers put Norwich 3-0 up, before Dean Holdsworth and Mikele Liegertwood hit late consolation goals for the visitors.
The Canaries dominated the early exchanges and after Iwan Roberts had missed the target with a close range header, City took the lead on 10 minutes.
Rivers delivered a cross from the right and the ball fell to ex-Wimbledon midfielder Francis, who turned swiftly to blast the ball home with a left-footed shot from six yards.
With 27 minutes gone, the Canaries doubled their lead.
Gary Holt surged into the penalty area only to be pulled back by Leigertwood and Rivers coolly dispatched the resulting spot-kick for his third goal of the new campaign.
Ten minutes after the restart, Rivers scored his second goal of the evening to seemingly put the result beyond doubt.
McVeigh cleverly released Adam Drury on the left and his excellent cross was nodded in by Rivers from six yards.
Wimbledon desperately tried to salvage something out of the game and Alex Tapp forced Robert Green into a brilliant reflex save as the Norwich goalkeeper tipped his close range effort over the crossbar.
Six minutes from time the Dons' efforts were rewarded when Nigel Reo-Coker released Holdsworth who fired the ball into the top left corner of the net from 20 yards.
A minute later Wimbledon were brought back down to earth though when Peter Hawkins took his protests too far with the referee, who sent off the Dons defender for a second bookable offence.
Deep into stoppage time the visitors were given an unlikely lifeline when Tapp played in Liegertwood, who blasted the ball into the top left corner with his right foot from 25 yards.
But it proved to be no more than a consolation as the full time whistle was blown seconds later.
Norwich: Green, Edworthy, Mackay, Fleming, Drury, Rivers, Francis, Holt, Easton, Roberts, McVeigh. Subs: Crichton, Mulryne, Jarvis, Hammond, Henderson.
Wimbledon: Banks, Gier, Leigertwood, Chorley, Hawkins, Tapp, Reo-Coker, Nowland, Darlington, McAnuff, Agyemang. Subs: Heald, Holloway, McDonald, Holdsworth, Gordon.


This September 11 is National Grandparents Day. While some grandparents across our nation might get a telephone call or a note from a loved one, it is more important to focus on more crucial issues facing older Americans.
Retirement and how to afford it, is one critical issue that concerns seniors. Our healthcare costs have soared. A new study by Fidelity says couples need $260,000 in retirement just to pay our end of Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs.
These high medical costs are why it's necessary that retirees have a loud voice in Congress, in Washington, D.C. and in our own state capitals, to fight to preserve the healthcare and earned retirement benefits we earned.
Members of Congress are paying more attention this year because election season is the perfect time for seniors to stand up and be heard. They want our votes. Suddenly, we're visible.
I'm a member of the non-profit group ProtectSeniors.Org, which advocates for retiree protections. It is critical for all retirees to get behind this retiree protection group to save their hard-earned benefits. This year and next, let's hope that Congress does more for America's grandparents than just sending a "Grandparents Day" card.
I’m not picking any side as to who I want for president. But the one commercial ad, cutting down Trump for having clothes being made in other countries, caught my attention.
I’m willing to bet almost every household in America has something made in another country.
There is hardly anymore dewing factories and shoe factories around. They went to other countries where the wages are cheaper.
I used to live in Lebanon County. I remember how the guys in my school hoped to work for Bethlehem Steel companies in the areas.
Guess what? They are all almost 100-percent gone!
I hope this opinion of mine sheds a light to the issue.
Is it made in the USA?
I have lived in the little town of Rexmont all my life. I was born at home and still live on the same street.
Throughout the years there have been changes which are for me hard to handle, and many things happen I don’t understand.
Years ago my family loved to hike the mountains, finding wild mushrooms. All that ended when the golf course got started. There are no little grocery stores in the town, no factories, barber shops and the list goes on.
The recent loss in the carnival grounds (known as that years ago), as was the playground. Everything was removed including the memorial stone. This is a big hurt not to see it standing there. The property is for sale and makes you wonder what’s going to happen. Another development?
This is a town that is non-commercial but the golf course is there and a restaurant. How does that happen? For years when the townhouse development started there was only one way in and one way out, isn’t that flag pole property?
I do know things change and we have to go with the flow but we still have our feelings about things and thank goodness I have my memories of the times that I felt safe, happy, loved and cared for from relatives, friends and neighbors.


LEICESTER CITY are set to reward Jamie Vardy with a new three-year deal for his part in the club's Premier League survival.
The Foxes signed the Vardy from Fleetwood Town in 2012 for a non-league record fee of £1million.
The striker initially struggled at the King Power Stadium, but has scored 21 goals over the last two seasons to lead the club to the Championship title and maintain Premier League status.
His impressive form this term has since attracted the attention of Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood, who is understood to be considering a £15m bid.
However, Leicester are prepared to offer 28-year-old - who recently received his first England call-up - a lucrative three-year deal.
Foxes boss Nigel Pearson has made it clear that he is only interested in strengthening his squad in the summer, and that involves keeping his key players.
West Brom and Stoke City were reportedly interested in the 28-year-old last January, with the former believed to have had a £7.5m bid knocked back.


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A team leader as a junior, Hurst was a top hitter and a defensive star for an Athens squad that went 13-11 as the shortstop earned all-league and all-district honors for the Indians.
Hurst led the team with a .418 batting average and a fielding percentage of .946 as she was a member of an Athens team that was named Academic All-State.
Costello was a leader on a young Bellevue team that had only one senior as the junior was a team captain and earned all-conference honors in the Southwestern Central Athletic Association, playing catcher and shortstop.
Costello hit .543 with a slugging percentage of .696 with 18 runs scored. She had an on-base percentage of .611 with 27 stolen bases and a fielding percentage of .977.
Robinson was a senior leader on a Bronson team that went 16-16 as she earned all-league honors in the Big Eight and all-district recognition from her catcher spot.
Robinson was among the leaders for Bronson with a .389 batting aferage and a slugging percentage of .700 as she also had 18 walks to give her an on-base percentage of .500. Robinson added 33 RBI with 41 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.
Smith had a breakout sophomore season on a Bronson team that went 16-16 as she earned all-league honors in the Big Eight and all-district recognition from her first base spot.
Smith led Bronson in hitting with a .434 average with a slugging percentage of .657 as she had 13 extra-base hits, including four home runs, with 32 runs scored and 30 RBI.
Horn was named MVP of the Coldwater team after helping the Cardinals to a 22-11 record as they were in contention for the Interstate 8 Conference crown much of the year before finishing 11-3 in the league.
Horn, the team's senior pitcher, was 16-5 from the mound with a 2.04 ERA and 109 strikeouts. At the plate, she batted .439 with 16 extra-base hits and a slugging percentage of .617 to go along with 41 RBI, as she earned all-league and all-district honors.
Scheid earned all-league honors as the first baseman for a Coldwater team that had a 22-11 record as they were in contention for the Interstate 8 Conference crown much of the year before finishing 11-3 in the league.
Scheid, a junior, led the team in hitting with a .462 batting average with 18 extra-base hits and a slugging percentage of .726 and an on-base percentage of .500 as she added 37 RBI.
A key defensive outfielder, Wellett earned all-league honors for a Coldwater team that had a 22-11 record as they were in contention for the Interstate 8 Conference crown much of the year before finishing 11-3 in the league.
Wellett, a senior, batted .376 with a slugging percentage of .559 with 35 hits and 14 stolen bases, while finishing with a .912 fielding percentage with 52 putouts.
Macomber finished out her Climax-Scotts career as an all-conference and all-district selection as well as being named co-MVP for the Panthers as she helped her squad to a 12-13 record.
A four-year varsity player, Macomber took over catching duties this season and led the team with a .462 batting average with an on-base percentage of .678, including 24 walks. On defense, she threw out eight base runners and was involved in five double plays.
Tobias had a standout sophomore season at catcher for a Delton Kellogg team that went 19-12 on the year and won a district crown as she earned all-league and all-district honors while also being named a team captain.
Tobias had an impressive .629 batting average with 10 home runs with 52 RBI and 44 runs scored, while only striking out four times all season with a slugging percentage of 1.303 and a fielding percentage of .981.
A senior on a young team, Woodard stood out on a Galesburg-Augusta team that went 6-22 as she earned all-league honors and the all-district team as well as team MVP accolades.
Woodard finished with a .338 batting average with 23 runs scored and an on-base percentage of .427.
One of the top players in the state, Esman was an All-State selection once again as a junior as she helped Gull Lake to a 26-10 overall record and a championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division as well as a spot in the regional finals.
Esman, who has verbally committed to play at the University of Michigan, had a .585 batting average with seven home runs to go along with 46 runs scored and 40 RBI. On the mound, she was 20-4 with a 0.85 ERA, striking out 199 in 125 innings pitched.
A leader as a senior, Martell earned All-State recognition as a catcher as she helped Gull Lake to a 26-10 overall record and a championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division as well as a spot in the regional finals.
Martell was a top offensive threat for the Blue Devils as she hit .515 with 19 doubles, 39 runs scored and 30 RBI, while also throwing out 8-of-19 base runners attempting to steal, earning her all-conference honors.
A top defensive shortstop, Whitman earned all-league honors as she helped Gull Lake to a 26-10 overall record and a championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference East Division as well as a spot in the regional finals.
Whitman hit .475 with 19 extra-base hits to go along with 35 runs scored and 39 RBI as she only had three errors on the season with a .953 fielding percentage.
A three-sport athlete, Sitkiewicz finished off her high school career as a team captain and team MVP as the senior shortstop for the Trojans, earning all-league honors for a team that went 14-22.
Sitkiewicz batted .339 with 23 extra-base hits, including eight home runs and 42 RBI with 29 runs scored. On defense, she had a .943 fielding percentage.
A young Maple Valley team struggled to get wins, but Medina was a standout as the senior was an all-league performer as she played all over the field at catcher, third base and outfield.
Medina led the team with a .500 batting average with 17 RBI and a fielding percentage of .898 on a Maple Valley team that went 7-23.
Franks had a breakout season as a sophomore, helping Marshall to a 15-20 record as the young Redhawks showed improvement after winning only nine games the year before.
Franks was the rock behind the plate for Marshall. She caught 124.2 innings and caught eight runners stealing while picking off two others. She was voted to the all-district team and was a switch-hitter, batting .325 with 21 RBI. Her 20 stolen bases led the team and she scored a team high 43 runs.
A leader in most offensive categories for Marshall, Hayes had a big sophomore season in helping Marshall to a 15-20 record as the young Redhawks showed improvement after winning only nine games the year before.
Hayes was all-conference and all-district as the shortstop batted .435 with 40 hits and 35 RBI, while being a leader on the defensive side of the ball with a .853 fielding percentage in 109 total chances. As a pitcher, Hayes had 37 strikeouts in 65.1 innings of work.
As the team's main pitcher, Groves was a key player for an Olivet team that finished 24-12 with a league title in the Greater Lansing Athletic Conference as well as a district crown as the senior will play at Saginaw Valley State University next year.
Groves earned all-league honors and all-region recognition as she finished with a 19-8 record with a 1.47 ERA and 273 strikeouts in 162 innings. As a hitter, Groves also batted cleanup for the Eagles with a .414 batting average and an on-base percentage of .536 with 32 RBI.
As one of team's most potent bats, Madry was a key player for an Olivet team that finished 24-12 with a league title in the Greater Lansing Athletic Conference as well as a district crown.
Madry finished the year with a .540 batting average with 67 hits, including 12 home runs and 13 doubles as the senior had 58 RBI and 48 runs scored to give her a .891 slugging percentage as she earned all-league and all-region honors and will be playing at Lake Michigan College next year.
One of the top hitters on an offensive Eagle squad, Rangel was a four-year varsity player and ended her softball career for an Olivet team that finished 24-12 with a league title in the Greater Lansing Athletic Conference as well as a district crown.
Rangel finished with a .471 batting average with 58 hits from her No. 2 spot in the lineup, driving in 40 runs and scoring 51 times with 13 extra-base hits as she earned all-league honors and will play at Lake Michigan College next year.
Adams was a force on the mound and in the outfield for a Union City team that went 25-15 on the season and advanced to the district finals as she earned all-league honors in the Big Eight as well as making the all-district team.
Adams, a key defensive outfielder for the Chargers, hit .371 on the season with a slugging percentage of .523 as she had 49 runs scored and 26 RBI. On the mound, Adams was 12-9 with a 4.29 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched.
Probably the top all-around player on the Union City squad, Carpenter was the team's leading hitter and a leader on the infield at shortstop as she helped the Chargers go 25-15 with a spot in the district finals as she earned all-league honors in the Big Eight as well as making the all-district team.
Carpenter hit an impressive .545 with a slugging percentage of .736 with 66 hits, 44 runs scored and 39 RBI, while only striking out five times in 121 at-bats.


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You might know peppy Nintendo game designer Eiji Aonuma as the man in charge of all things Zelda. You might also know that he came up underneath the tutelage of Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who created Mario. But did you know that Aonuma isn’t that good at games featuring the company’s most iconic character?
Aonuma’s been working on the Legend of Zelda franchise for 17 years. It’s not unreasonable to think he might want to do something else one day. When I asked him what Nintendo franchise he could see himself working on next, he let me know it probably wouldn’t be the one with the “It’s-a Me!” guy.
Kotaku: What Nintendo franchise would you want to tackle next?
Aonuma: It wouldn’t be Mario because I’m not any good at that type of jumping game.
Kotaku: There are different reflexes involved there. What about Pikmin? There’s some similarities there. There’s a lot of exploration and a focus on figuring out the gameworld.
Aonuma: When I look at Pikmin, I feel like it’s something that kind of comes out of a lot of the ideas for Zelda. I think that is what happened with in Mr. Miyamoto’s head. If I made a Pikmin game it might turn into a Zelda game. Zelda is the main thing I’m really interested in.
So, good news if you happen to like Aonuma’s stewardship of Link’s adventures. He wants to stick around.


Conglomerate Keppel Corporation's latest quarterly results continued to take a beating owing to poor performance from its offshore and marine business.
Demand for drilling rigs has fallen though conversions and specialised shipbuilding have helped to bolster performance for the unit.
Net profit for the three months to Sept 30 dipped 12.4 per cent to $363 million, compared with the same period a year earlier, it said yesterday.
Revenue slid 23.4 per cent to $2.44 billion owing to lower contributions across all business units except its property business.
"They demonstrate our resilience as a multi-business conglomerate, not just a single-business company," he said at a briefing yesterday.
He maintained that this business approach is evident in KepCorp's results this year, which "may not be fully appreciated by the market".
The turnover of Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) slumped 36 per cent to $1.41 billion, owing to lower work volume and some project deferments.
KepCorp's infrastructure business also suffered a 30 per cent decrease in revenue as a result of lower revenue from the sale of electricity. The absence of revenue from Keppel FMO, after it was sold in the fourth quarter of last year, was also a contributing factor.
The drop in revenue was partially offset by a surge in property revenue, by some 122 per cent, to $487 million, thanks to higher contributions from residential projects in China.
Earnings per share slid to 20 cents from 22.9 cents a year earlier, while net asset value per share was $5.91 as at Sept 30, up from $5.73 as at Dec 31 last year.
Mr Loh said that Keppel O&M has acceded to requests for "slightly later delivery" of three jackup rigs from this year to early next year.
He also revealed that KepCorp is "hunkering down" in its offshore and marine business, trimming its overheads and improving efficiency.
Keppel O&M chief executive Chow Yew Yuen said that it has reduced 12 per cent of its direct labour and cut 19 per cent of its sub-contractor workforce in the first nine months of this year in efforts to "right size" its operations.
However, Mr Loh said that KepCorp does not intend to cut costs across the board.
"We will continue to invest prudently in training, research and development, and productivity improvements through the down cycle, and get ourselves ready to seize opportunities when the upturn comes."
KepCorp shares closed three cents higher at $7.29 today ahead of its results briefing.


Fashion’s Night Out, an event curated in 2009 by Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine, and international editors of the publication to stimulate the stagnant industry, infected multiple shopping centers across Houston Thursday.
The evening event originally started in New York City and is an annual site of a chaotic circus of celebrities, media representatives and fashionistas.
The fashion celebration is seen as the event that ignites the start of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, which started Thursday and will last a week.
Houston experienced a milder version of the event at several locations throughout the city, including the Galleria, Rice Village and West Avenue.
Sydney Dao, Director of Public Relations at local boutique Dao Chloe Dao, took the initiative to organize a Rice Village shop crawl to highlight Houston’s independent stores.
FNO was held in more than 500 cities nationwide this year, according to its official website.
Although the fashion scene down south is not as grand as in New York, Dao thought the fourth largest city was aware of the cause and deserved a shopping event like this.
“We decided to participate because we finally felt like Houston was ready for it. I think it was recognized and people heard it enough to know what Fashion’s Night Out really is and what it represents,” Dao said.
The Village is home to more than 300 shops, including corporate retail chains, but Dao specifically wanted to highlight the many local fashion businesses with a personality.
“We also had a lot of people ask us what we were doing for Fashion’s Night Out, so we felt like that was the right time. What we did — our Fashion’s Night Out — the focus of it was actually to help bring awareness to all the cool little independent shops here in the Village versus chains in the mall,” Dao said.
UH alumnus Alan Javillonar, co-owner and head buyer of The Class Room, a menswear boutique that participated in the Village shop crawl, thought the event exposed Houstonians to new shops that they normally would not venture into.
“Since we’re a menswear boutique, we usually don’t get women coming into the shop and feedback was great. We had a chance to kind of showcase who we are and what we stand for,” Javillonar said.
Amber Twis, Store Director of Langford Market at Rice Village, expressed the same sentiments.
“Fashion’s Night Out is a really great exposure just to get people out and not necessarily spend money, but to discover new stores,” Twis said.
FNO only received moderate interest from consumers in Houston, but Dao believes the industry-favorite event will continue to gain popularity throughout the city.
“I think it’s just going to grow. It’s getting bigger and bigger every year. I think people are recognizing it. I think they’re going to look forward to the event every year. We’re hoping our little shop crawl is going to grow into something really big — incorporate more stores, maybe have some entertainment outside,” Dao said.


Insurance comparison marketplace QuoteWizard is having a good start to the year.
The company announced Thursday that it has acquired California-based Bantam Connect, a call transfer company specializing in insurance leads. Privately held QuoteWizard also disclosed a record profit of $12 million in 2017. The Seattle-based company said its total revenue for the year was $80 million, also a record high since it was founded in 2006.
QuoteWizard has absorbed Bantam’s management team and all 30 of its employees and said it will allow the company to continue operations as normal under the QuoteWizard brand. The companies did not release financial details of the deal, but said it included both cash and equity.
The news is notable given that QuoteWizard was forced to lay off 30 percent of its workforce in late 2016 as the insurance markets shifted. Peyree told GeekWire at the time that the company couldn’t maintain its growth in the insurance environment and that it would look to diversify its offerings.
It seems that plan is working out — Bantam’s addition and the acquisition of insurance shopping site RateElert in October have expanded QuoteWizard’s products into broader offerings for insurance providers and shoppers.
QuoteWizard has been family owned and self-funded since its founding in 2006, and has at times been among the fastest growing companies in Washington state. It opened a Denver office in May of 2016.


FILE - Governor Greg Abbott speaks at the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Dallas, May 4, 2018.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday was set to hold a series of meetings on how to combat school violence, three days after a 17-year-old killed 10 people in the fourth-deadliest mass shooting at a public school in modern U.S. history.
The attack at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, came a little more than three months after a 19-year-old shot dead 17 students and educators at a Florida high school. That incident intensified a long-running national debate about gun rights and sparked a student-led movement under the slogan #NeverAgain.
Abbott, a Republican and staunch supporter of gun rights, called for a statewide moment of silence at 10 a.m. CDT (1500 GMT) on Monday.
Abbott said he would talk with educators, parents and elected officials about ways to improve school security without infringing on the right to bear arms, protected by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
"We need to do more than just pray for the victims and the families," Abbott said on Friday at the school outside Houston following the attack. He said any legal changes considered would "protect Second Amendment rights."
Abbott spokesman Stephen Chang said the governor was finalizing plans for the roundtables, including the dates and participants.
Mike Collier, a Democrat running for Texas lieutenant governor, expressed skepticism that the roundtables would lead to significant change.
"All I hear is talk. Talk is cheap," Collier said on Twitter. "What we need is action."
Police arrested Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, at the Santa Fe school following the rampage that they said he carried out with a shotgun and .38-caliber pistol. He has been charged with murder.
Two teachers and eight students, including Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh, 17, were killed in the attack, police said.
Her father, Aziz Sheikh, said on Monday he hoped the death of his daughter, who wanted to serve her country as a civil servant or diplomat, would spur gun control in the United States.
"Sabika's case should become an example to change the gun laws," Sheikh said in a phone interview from the family home in Karachi.
Classmates at the school described Pagourtzis as a quiet loner who played on the football team. The attacker wore a black trench coat to school even in the Texas heat on Friday.
Many of the aspects of the attack mirrored another American school shooting: The massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado in April 1999, when two teenage boys with weapons hidden under trench coats killed 12 students and one teacher.
In that attack, the teenagers had a shootout with police and ultimately committed suicide.
Police said Pagourtzis confessed to Friday's killings after he was taken into custody but authorities have offered no motive yet for the massacre.
Pagourtzis' family said in a statement it was "saddened and dismayed" by the shooting and "as shocked as anyone else" by the events. The family said it was cooperating with authorities.
Sadie Rodriguez, the mother of Santa Fe student Shana Fisher who was killed in the attack, has said in media accounts that her 16-year-old daughter had rejected four months of aggressive advances from Pagourtzis.
Fisher finally stood up to him and embarrassed him in class, her mother told the Los Angeles Times.
"A week later he opens fire on everyone he didn't like," she said. "Shana being the first one."


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Time Out, the listings magazine company, plans to use the £90million it raised from listing on AIM to accelerate growth for its food markets.
The firm manages a market in Lisbon, Portugal, but wants to open more. Yesterday it reported revenues up 106 per cent year-on-year in the six months to June.
The firm said it was trading in line with expectations and overall revenue was up 16 per cent, with digital growth offsetting a 2 per cent decline in revenue from print operations.
Shares moved forward 4.6 per cent, or 6p, to 135.5p but they are still 14.5p short of their 150p flotation price.
Packaging and paper company Mondi said its half-year profit is likely to be ahead of the previous six months’ £410million. It expects earnings per share to be up to 14 per cent higher at between 61 and 65p. Mondi is finalising its results, which will be released on August 4. The confident update sent shares up 4.3 per cent, or 63p, to 1,531p.
Provident Financial climbed as it revealed pre-tax profit for the first half of the year was up 17.6pc to £148.9m. The business, whose brands include Vanquis and Moneybarn, offers credit cards, loan and home finance to ‘non-standard’ credit customers.
Provident said it will pay an interim dividend of 43.2p a share, up 10.2 per cent from 39.2p a year ago.
Shares advanced 5.7 per cent, or 148p, to 2,748p. Provident was the highest riser on the FTSE for the day. The market finished 0.2pc, or 13.9, higher at 6,724.
Tesco was the greatest faller of the day, losing 4.1 per cent, or 6.6p, to 155.5p amid concerns for the sector as the discount supermarkets continue to pick up market share from the major players. Tesco’s sales slipped 0.7 per cent in July according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel.
Many of the house builders were in the red for the day as Deutsche Bank slashed its target prices for the firms. Barratt slipped 3.3 per cent, or 13.7p, to 405.3p while Berkeley Group dropped 3.1 per cent, or 82p, to 2,545p. Insurance business Charles Taylor has announced its acquisition of CEGA Solutions, a specialist provider of technical medical assistance and travel claims management services, for £29.8m.
Charles Taylor said it is a step in its strategy to develop new business lines through acquisitions. It has already bought a stake in Fadata, which provides software solutions to the insurance industry. CEGA, which reported pre-tax profit of £2.7million in 2015, will continue to be run by its current management. Shares gained 3.8 per cent, or 10p, to 270p.
Lamprell shares slipped as it revealed technical issues meant a jackup drilling rig, a type of mobile platform often used in oil and gas drilling, which it should have delivered to a client in the second quarter of the year has been delayed.
Lamprell, which provides engineering and contracting services to the energy industry, said a technical issue had arisen and the rig would now be delivered mid-August. But Lamprell could be liable for costs as a result.
The firm was quick to reassure investors that the other six rigs it is constructing are on schedule, but added that the market environment is very challenging and that is likely to hit 2017 revenues. Shares tumbled 4.8 per cent, or 3.5p, to 70p.
Carpet firm Victoria soared as it announced profits had more than doubled in the year to April 2. Revenue increased 101 per cent to £255.2million over the period while pre-tax profit climbed 681 per cent to £9.3million following a £1.6million loss last year.
Victoria, which sells its floor coverings in the UK and Australia, said the successful integration of two acquired businesses, Quest Carpets and Interfloor Group, had enhanced earnings in the year. Shares jumped 9.9 per cent, or 110p, to 1,217.5p.


A US effort to build pressure against Iran’s influence in the Middle East is facing a setback after ministers from several European Union members opted out of the summit organised by Washington in Poland.
The meeting – due to take place in Warsaw on February 13-14 – will focus on stability and security in the Middle East and on countering Iran’s “destabilising influence” in the region.
But since US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announcement during his tour of the Middle East, a number of EU representatives have said they will skip the summit, co-hosted by Poland and the US.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she will not take part in what her officials privately describe as an anti-Iran conference, according to Iranian and US media reports.
France is also unlikely to send its foreign minister, according to European diplomats. Luxembourg’s foreign minister said he would miss the event because of a prior arrangement. The UK and Germany have not yet taken any official positions.
The European Union is at loggerheads with the US over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as it seeks to retain economic ties with Tehran despite renewed US sanctions.
Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and to reimpose sanctions –including on Iran’s oil sector – is part of a proclaimed effort by Washington to curb Tehran’s military presence in the Middle East, which the US accuses of causes tensions and promoting terrorism.
Mr Zarif’s comments made reference to Iran’s role in hosting over 100,000 Polish refugees during the Second World War.
An official at the ministry of culture said that plans to screen a Polish Film Week in Iran would be cancelled if the summit plans will go ahead.
Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said the summit was being held because US sanctions had failed to bring Iran to its knees.
Iran’s national news agency IRNA reported that Iran expressed its discontent to Poland’s Chargé d’Affaires Wojciech Unolt, demanding that Warsaw not go along with the “hostile move”.
A statement quoting an unnamed Iranian said that Iran will resort to unspecified “counter-action” toward Poland should the summit go ahead.
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz rejected Iranian criticism and said he hoped the conference will provide a new platform for international dialogue and allow the US and European Union to find common ground on Iran.
Poland supports the EU efforts to preserve its nuclear agreement with Iran, but Mr Czaputowicz said the deal alone will not prevent Iran from “destabilising” the region.
The summit was announced by Mr Pompeo during a Middle Eastern tour earlier this month. He said the objectives include changing the “behaviour” of Iran, which Washington accuses of destabilising the region.
“We will gather around a number of different topics ... fighting ISIS is part of that ... and address how we can get the Islamic Republic of Iran to behave like a normal nation,” Mr Pompeo told reporters.
Tehran denies the accusations and says US military presence is to blame for tensions in the Middle East.


AFTER hosting four lots of tenants over six years of retirement, Bob and Lynn Hay are back in business and can't wait to get the Bargara Berries cafe back up and running.
Mr and Mrs Hay had spent the past 18 months travelling through north Queensland enjoying their boating and fishing retirement, but when the final tenants didn't renew the lease, the couple decided to give restaurant life another go.
"We thought we might come back and try to revitalise the cafe and get it back to what it was," Mr Hay said.
"This is a big challenge we're taking on, we're not young anymore, but we've got some great support around us."
At 68 and 70 years-of-age, Lynn and Bob are bringing back all the old favourites the strawberry farmers were known for.
"The main one people used to love were the strawberry pancakes," Mr Hay said.
"We used our own strawberries and that was a very successful dish.
"The food will be similar to our old menu, house made with fresh local food, fruit and vegetables."
The couple are busy trying to get the cafe back up to scratch and are currently trimming the gardens, restocking tables and chairs, and painting the interior to give it a fresh look.
"We will have to spend about $10,000 before it will be ready for customers," Mr Hay said.
"After being away for so long it needed some restoration and a bit of a facelift."
Mr and Mrs Hay have also put a call out for experiences workers to join the reinvigorated business, set to open their doors in June.
"We're looking to put on probably about half a dozen staff," Mr Hay said.
"When we were operating about six years ago we had eight to 10 people working.
"We'll kick off by employing six staff members, feel the waters, and go from there."
After the many changes of hands the business has been through, Mr Hay wants the public to know they're back to provide value for money.
"We're all about good food with a reasonable price," Mr Hay said.
"As always people can expect lots of fruit, tasty meals and delicious strawberry pancakes."
The couple plan to build up the business for a couple of years and then sell the cafe to head back into retired life.
"Leasing the establishment hasn't worked so well for us, so we've returned to get it going to what it was and then sell it in a few years' time," Mrs Hay said.
"Nobody likes to buy a building that's not functional so we'll get it going and see how it looks."
The Bargara Berries shop that sits in front of the cafe will continue to sell jams, sauces and other local fruit and vegetables but operates separately to the cafe.


Sony's fully online TV service -- the first of its kind -- is coming, but it's no cable killer yet. It seals a big deal for Viacom channels like Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV.
Sony's coming cloud-based TV service will carry 22 Viacom networks at launch, the companies said in a release Wednesday.
The deal is a milestone in the technology and entertainment industry's ambitions for a fully online pay-TV service, one that gives you the most popular networks of your cable provider but delivers them over the Internet. It has been a goal for a plethora of companies but has largely remained out of reach. Apple and Google have been said to be in pursuit, and for nearly a year, Intel was the only company to outright broadcast its plans to launch one. Sony went public with its goal at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, saying it plans to pilot a cloud-based TV service this year that combines live television content with on-demand and DVR.
The deal Wednesday signifies Sony has cleared the major hurdle that has tripped up its rivals -- securing the programming.
Though the service appears it will lack the full breadth of channels to rival pay-TV services from cable and satellite companies, it is Viacom's first-ever agreement to provide its networks for an Internet-based live TV and video-on-demand service. Though Viacom is only one television company of about nine that comprise the vast majority of TV channels consumers in the US watch, it is one of the biggest. It will provide 22 channels for the Sony service, which include Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, CMT, Spike, TV Land and VH1.
"Viacom always strives to create transformational opportunities that combine consumer value and technological innovation," said Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, in a release. "Given our young, tech-savvy audiences, our networks are essential for any new distribution platform, and we're excited to be among the many programmers that will help power Sony's new service and advance a new era for television."
Last year, Dauman said at a UBS investor conference that a so-called "over-the-top" TV service had "a very strong chance" of arriving in 2014.
The companies didn't provide details such as a launch date. They said the service will offer Internet-based live TV and video on demand "from major programmers," including Viacom. Among the Viacom content is at least 22 "linear networks" (that's the one-show-after-another channel you watch on your TV live), access to Viacom's TV Everywhere websites and apps, and Viacom's full video-on-demand package.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Sony shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange were up less than a percentage point at $19.35, and Viacom's were down less than a percentage point at $79.12 in recent trading.
In March, Dish Network took the lead in turning Internet TV into reality when the satellite television provider unveiled a deal with the Walt Disney Co., owner of such networks as ABC and ESPN, to give Dish the right to stream video, live and on demand, as part of an Internet-delivered television service. But the Sony deal with Viacom represents the first totally stand-alone Web TV service to secure the content rights to be viable.
Update, 7:48 a.m. PT: With further details of the service and context.


Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio have joined The X Factor, replacing the outgoing Britney Spears and L.A. Reid on the Fox reality show’s judges’ panel. The two will round out the panel with series creator Simon Cowell and returning judge Demi Lovato, according to Reuters. Rowland, now a solo artist, is no X Factor novice – she served as a judge on the British version’s eighth season in 2011.
The X Factor has been unsteady since its 2011 U.S. premiere: viewership fell from an average 12.5 million per episode that year to 9.7 million per episode. Cowell has swapped out judges each season, flipping Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger for Spears and Lovato in Season Two. The U.K. X Factor, however, has found success with breakthrough artists including Leona Lewis and One Direction since launching in 2004.
The X Factor kicks off auditions today in Charleston, South Carolina, with tryouts running through July. Its third season begins this fall on Fox.


Less than two months after giving birth to her second child, Ciara has stepped on the scale to share her postpartum weight loss with fans. The 31-year-old took to social media on Tuesday to document losing eight pounds this past week.
Ciara said her weight loss goal for the week was 10 pounds, but is satisfied with going from 183 lbs. to 175 lbs. In addition to the latest weigh-in, Ciara also stated she lost 20 pounds during the first four weeks after giving birth to her daughter. The singer welcomed Sienna Princess on April 28 with husband Russell Wilson, but has yet to share any photos of the newborn.
In her new Instagram post, Ciara said she about ‘died’ this past week trying to lose more weight. However, Ciara then added she was about to go eat a cheeseburger and brownie after sharing her latest weight loss with fans.
Her followers complimented her honesty in how much work it takes to lose weight as they left comments on the post. Others stated Ciara should enjoy her cheeseburger as it was well-deserved.
Ciara also informed her 16.6 million Instagram followers that her goal is to lose another three or four pounds this coming week as well. It seems the new mom is keeping her weight loss goals realistic as she treats herself to a cheat day.
People magazine reported on Ciara’s initial weight loss as she claimed she gained 60 pounds while pregnant with her daughter. The “Goodies” performer may have surprised fans by sharing her current weight as some celebrities tend to be a bit more secretive when it comes to how much they’ve gained.
The article also stated Ciara gained the same amount while pregnant with her son, Future Zahir, whom she shares with rapper Future. While she’s been sharing her weight loss journey with fans, Ciara has been keeping a low profile when it comes to posting images of herself. Instead, she’s been busy sharing throwback photos from before becoming pregnant.
But her fans don’t seem to mind as they like and comment on her posts. Some of her followers seem to worry about Ciara giving up her music career now that she’s married to a professional football player and is a mother of two as they comment on her most recent posts.
Fans may not need to worry about Ciara retiring from the business just yet, though, as she is obviously working hard to get back into shape. Prior to her pregnancy, Cici flaunted a toned body as she showcased her dance skills in music videos and in social media posts.
It appears she’s dedicated to getting her figure back and is doing it her way as she celebrates the recent weight loss with a burger.


"We will not go (attend cabinet meetings) until a clear stand is announced on Telangana issue," Civil Supplies Minister J Krishna Rao told reporters here.
"We have told everything to our high command. We are hopeful that the Centre would come out with a positive response," IT Minister K Venkata Reddy said.
Asked how long the ministers would stay away from their official responsibilities, major Irrigation Minister P Laxmaiah said the ministers would resume duties whenever the Centre announced steps for the formation of separate Telangana.
"We wanted the Centre to give clarity on its statement by specifying a time frame for the formation of Telangana. We will act accordingly," he said.
The ministers had yesterday ruled out withdrawal of their resignations until the Congress high command comes out with a "categorical time frame" for the issue.
The ministers, who have sent a common resignation letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Law Minister Veerapa Moily and party leader Ahmed Patel in New Delhi during the last two days and discussed the current situation and put forth their demands.
Meanwhile, the ministers and other senior Congress leaders had a meeting to discuss the current situation over the Telangana issue today.
"We will brief the leaders about the Delhi visit. We will discuss the issue threadbare," IT Minister K Venkata Reddy said.


The police in New York, the United States (US), on Tuesday arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of a Nigerian cab driver in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn in downtown New York, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Uro Ama Orji, 54, from Ebonyi State, was stabbed in the eye with an umbrella on June 13 by one of the two passengers he was carrying.
The suspect was seen, through security camera, running from the scene of the incident.
The late Orji was taken to the Brookdale Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The suspect, identified as Shamel Allen, 28, of Brooklyn, was charged with manslaughter and possession of weapon.
He was accused of the stabbing Orji inside a cab in Brownsville on June 13.
Orji’s sister-in-law, Mrs Chinedum Agwu, described the deceased as “a hard-working Nigerian” who had been driving cab since he moved to Brooklyn 10 years ago.


DELUDED Arsene Wenger lost the Euro plot last night as he declared: “This club is in great shape,” after a 10-2 aggregate humiliation by Bayern Munich.
The fuming Arsenal boss oversaw the heaviest defeat by any British team in Champions League history.
Yet he refused to even discuss his Emirates future and insisted last night’s 5-1 hammering was all the fault of Greek ref Tasos Sidiropoulos.
“I think we can compete with Bayern Munich and we have shown that tonight in the first-half,” Wenger amazingly declared.
“We produced a performance with the spirit and the pride that we wanted.
“This club is in great shape that at this moment is going through a difficult situation.
“We really put Bayern under pressure but the referee killed the game tonight and that was absolutely scandalous.
“Bayern are a good side but tonight they can say ‘thankyou’ to the referee for the irresponsible decisions in the second-half.
The Emirates was half empty at the final whistle after five Bayern goals in a devastating second-half spell prompted forlorn chants of “We want Wenger out”.
But the stubborn Frenchman has no intention of standing down and snapped: “You are always worried about your headlines, but I am here to speak about football, not about my future.
“I know we will take a lot of criticism and we have to take it on the chin, but that won’t change my mind about tonight because we were really unlucky.
“We have to stand up and give all kind of explanations but at the end of the day the referee is the reason for this result.
“There was no uncertainty in our game. I felt we played very well. That is what leaves me very angry and frustrated.
“We knew before the game that it was very difficult to qualify. We wanted at least to go home feeling we dealt with the situation with pride and commitment and we have done that.
“The fact that the end result will not highlight the quality of our performance was very disappointing.
Wenger was particularly with Laurent Koscielny’s 53rd minute sending-off for a foul on Robert Lewandowski after originally only showing a yellow card to the Arsenal skipper.
“In the first-half it was a 100 per cent penalty on Walcott that was not given and then they gave a penalty when Lewandowski was offside.


JOSE MOURINHO believes the fixture list has hampered Chelsea's bid for Capital One Cup glory - and handed Arsenal an unfair advantage.
The Blues will have just one day's rest before the pair meet at the Emirates tomorrow and Mourinho has suggested the League Cup has been denied a true spectacle between two form sides.
Mourinho said: "We are going to give the game that the people that put the game on Tuesday want.
"If they want a big game, we cannot give the big game.
"If they want the players that were playing (on Sunday), we cannot give them that.
"If they want Arsenal to win a trophy, that's a help, because if they want a big game between two big teams in London, they should put the game on Wednesday and not on Tuesday."


Large beautiful view lot in Guntersville city. 3/4+/- acre approx. Close to everything! This is one of the best building lots in town with a view. Call Ernie Tidmore @ 256-506-2000 for more information.


BOSTON: Rallies at federal immigration offices across the country have called for the release of Eduardo Samaniego, an immigration activist from Massachusetts facing deportation.
In New York City, Los Angles, Boston, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, small crowds of supporters held signs saying “Free Eduardo Now” and chanted and banged drums as they delivered petitions to officials at the federal offices.
In court, Ghalib says she’ll seek a special hearing to consider her client’s competency. He is being transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Colombia, South Carolina, she said.


A player on a successful team will sometimes be required to step up and go beyond their position’s normal responsibilities. For his part today, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota tried his hand at becoming a crackback blocker.
On a first-and-10 from his team’s 24-yard line, Mariota knocked over Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree to help Derrick Henry complete a 12-yard run.
Jeez. Ogletree might have roughly 25 pounds on Mariota, but it didn’t help there.


So what's really down there? Down as in way down below the ocean, as Donovon sang in 1968. According to the latest Census of Marine Life, we're starting to get a clear idea.
On Monday, scientists released a preliminary inventory of ocean species distribution and diversity in 25 biologically representative regions from the Antarctic to the Arctic. Their final report will get released early next month.
Before the decade-long census gets revealed, the researchers dropped a few morsels for us to chew on. For instance, the waters off the coasts off Australia, Japan, China, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are the world's most diverse in terms of known species.
When the census gets released in London, it's expected to report there are more than 230,000 marine species in the world's oceans. Even more intriguing, the preliminary inventory released on Monday noted that "for every marine species of all kinds known to science, census scientists estimate that at least four have yet to be discovered." That makes for a lot of fish. And probably a lot of fish in shapes, sizes and colors that will blow our minds.
"At the end of the Census of Marine Life, most ocean organisms still remain nameless and their numbers unknown," says biologist Nancy Knowlton of the Smithsonian Institution. "This is not an admission of failure. The ocean is simply so vast that, after 10 years of hard work, we still have only snapshots, though sometimes detailed, of what the sea contains. But it is an important and impressive start."
The census is issuing early looks at some of these marine species, and you can check out a sample of what they discovered in the accompanying image gallery.


Harris, who is an honors student at East LA College, plays defense as a free safety.
Toni Harris became the first female football player at a skilled position to sign a letter of intent for a football scholarship on Tuesday.
Harris had already broken barriers as the first female football player in East Los Angeles College's history and also the first female football player to appear in a Super Bowl advertisement earlier in February.
On Tuesday, the East LA College Siberian Husky held a news conference to mark the historic moment and sign the letter of intent to play football at Central Methodist University in Missouri. The school has offered Harris a full scholarship to play college football.
The Detroit native has a history of overcoming long odds, having grown up in foster care and survived cancer at age 18. She's the first person in her family to graduate high school and go to college, intending to study criminal justice.
"Toni Harris has shown great resolve in her journey and quest to be a college football player," Bobby Godinez, who coached Harris at East LA College, said in a statement released by the school. "She has shown herself to be a great teammate here at East Los Angeles College and a great member of this community. We all wish her the best in her journey beyond ELAC."
Harris, who has stated her goal of becoming the first female in the National Football League, will take the next giant step towards that ultimate goal.
"If it doesn't happen, I can just pave the way for another little girl to come out and play -- or even start a women's NFL," Harris said.


'The Hunger' is inspired by the Donner Party, in which American pioneers resorted to cannibalism to avoid starvation. A 3.5-star book review.
You’ve heard of the Donner Party. You know they were pioneers who set out for California, that things went poorly and did not end well. If nothing else, you probably know that they ate one another to survive.
The Hunger, Alma Katsu’s new novel (Putnam, 373 pp., ★★★½ out of four), assumes some familiarity with this California Trail horror show. Instead of sapping the story of suspense, this familiarity infuses every page with dread. And that’s before Katsu adds in a supernatural twist.
All this may have been enough to damn the historical Donner party, but Katsu’s poor souls are dogged by an additional evil: a voracious presence that stalks them across the land, preying on and infecting the pioneers. As the days go by, the party dwindles, winnowed by forces known and unknown.
Everything goes wrong, with repeatedly fatal results, and the pioneers turn on one another, their suspicions and conflicts heightening with their desperation. Many of them harbor burning secrets — shameful pasts, as well as blood-fresh crimes and designs.
Ironically, the supernatural elements almost relieve the tension and horror of the story. The Hunger, for all its wickedness, is somehow less of a nightmare than the actual Donner Party history, some of the darkness pushed onto external threats, or disproportionately contained in one sociopathic villain.
Because what would you do in those mountains, to survive the ever-present threat of death? The Hunger might show you more than you’d like to know.


Grand Final winners St Helens will start the 2015 Super League season with a home game against Catalan Dragons.
The two sides will meet on Friday, 6 February, 24 hours after runners-up Wigan Warriors travel to Widnes in their opening fixture of the campaign.
The opening weekend sees two Yorkshire derbies with Castleford v Wakefield and Huddersfield Giants at home to Hull FC.
Warrington play host Salford Red Devils, with Hull KR meeting Leeds Rhinos at the KC Lightstream Stadium.
Wigan forward Ben Flower will miss his side's first re-match with St Helens on Good Friday as he serves a six-month ban, the longest in Super League history, for punching Lance Hohaia during the Grand Final.
The earliest Flower could return to action would be Wigan's home game against Warrington on 23 April.
Hohaia, however, will be free for Saints' game against Catalan as he will serve his one-game ban in pre-season for striking Flower with his forearm in the Grand Final.
Only 12 sides will be involved in the first phase of Super League, with Bradford Bulls and London Broncos relegated to the Championship as part of the game's revamped structure.
But there will be a break after the opening two rounds of games while St Helens, who will name their new head coach on Monday, Wigan and Warrington compete against the top Australian sides in the new World Club Series.
Magic Weekend will take place on 30-31 May with all 12 sides playing at St James' Park in Newcastle.
Super League General manager Blake Solly has predicted a "momentous year" in 2015, with "unprecedented levels of excitement, drama and jeopardy" because of the new structure.
It will see Super League and Championship play 23 games in two divisions of 12 and then be split into three pools of eight.
The top Super Eights group will then play seven further games, with the top four at that stage progressing to contest places in the Grand Final.
Four further top-flight clubs for the 2016 season will come from the middle qualifiers pool.
The Super Eights will begin on 8-9 August, with the season reaching its climax in the first two weekends of October.
The Super League semi-finals, Championship Shield final and so-called million-pound match between the fourth and fifth teams in the middle Super Eight group will decide the final promotion place, on 3-4 October, with the Grand Final at Old Trafford on 10 October.
Next season's Challenge Cup, meanwhile, will have byes to the sixth round for the top eight sides from Super League 2014, and the final will be played at Wembley on 29 August.


Charities hailed the £100 million drive as a significant step forward but warned that more social housing is needed to end homelessness.
Theresa May has declared her aim to help homeless people “turn their lives around” as the Government launched a £100 million plan to end rough sleeping on England’s streets.
The strategy was welcomed by homelessness charities, who said it was a significant step towards meeting the Conservative manifesto commitment to halve rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament and eliminate it by 2027.
However, they warned it will not provide a “total fix” for homelessness, which would require a significant increase in social housing, more security for renters and the reversal of policies which leave migrants homeless.
The new strategy, revealed by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire on Saturday ahead of its official launch on Monday, will offer support with mental health and addictions as well as help with accommodation.
Based on a three-pronged approach of prevention, intervention and recovery, it focuses on efforts to stop people becoming homeless in the first place, with swift, targeted support to get those in crisis off the streets and into long-term housing.
The strategy includes £50 million for homes outside London for people ready to move on from hostels or refuges and £30 million for mental health support for rough sleepers.
A new network of specialist “navigators” will help rough sleepers access services and accommodation.
Around 4,751 people are estimated to sleep rough on any given night in England.
Mrs May said: “Nobody should have to sleep rough and that’s why we must do all we can to help the most vulnerable in our society get the support they need.
In a joint statement, seven homelessness charities who advised on the strategy said it would “make a real difference to people’s lives”.
However, the charities – Crisis, Homeless Link, National Housing Federation, Shelter, St Basil’s, St Mungo’s and Thames Reach – warned: “For the strategy to work, the Government must also set out bold, cross-departmental plans to tackle the root causes of all forms of homelessness and prevent it from happening in the first place.
“This must include plans to build significantly more social housing, to foster greater security for renters, to ensure people have access to benefits and other support they need to help them keep their homes.
The chief executive of St Mungo’s outreach, hostel and recovery service, Howard Sinclair, said: “Rough sleeping is harmful, dangerous and dehumanising and we share the Government’s aim that no-one should have to sleep rough.
Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate said: “Let’s be clear, this is a step forward and not a total fix for homelessness.
Labour’s shadow housing secretary John Healey dismissed the strategy as “a feeble plan that lacks any urgency to tackle the crisis of rising rough sleeping”.
Mr Healey said: “The scale of the problem is clear today but the Government’s target means waiting almost a decade to deal with this crisis.
Mr Healey said the next Labour government would end rough sleeping within its first term by making 8,000 homes available for people with a history of rough sleeping.
David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “People sleeping on the streets because they don’t have a home of their own is a desperate situation and one that needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency.


As cardinals meet in Rome to discuss the next pope, a consensus is developing: They want Jesus Christ with an MBA. The Rev. Thomas Reese of the National Catholic Reporter weighs in from Rome. Photo: Getty Images.


Relations between the European Union and Malaysia and Indonesia hit an obstacle when Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Indonesia’s Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan recently threatened to boycott EU’s products if the bloc issues a ban on palm oil as a biofuel.
As the largest buyer of certified sustainable palm oil, the European Commission recently concluded that palm oil cultivation has led to excessive deforestation. Consequently, palm oil will no longer qualify to be considered toward the EU renewable transportation targets for national governments. This presents a major setback for the industry as nearly half (48 percent) of all EU’s palm oil imports in 2016 were channeled to biofuels.
In a December commentary on the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) cautioned against outright bans and singling out key exports such as palm oil from developing countries. While protecting national interests is important, any attempt to engage in trade retaliation in reality would do little to offer a long-term, win-win solution. A more constructive and lasting approach is to examine how countries, especially in Asia, can drive sustainable consumption.
For a long time, the demand for sustainable consumption mainly stemmed from the West, with Asia often perceived to be lagging behind. In the palm oil industry, for instance, many Asian markets continue to be price-sensitive and the public’s level of awareness of sustainability remains low. There is also a larger emphasis on meeting basic needs as well as food safety. Consumers — including in major markets like China and India — are also less likely to make their purchasing decisions based on environmental or social certifications.
However, the EU’s move is noteworthy because it sends a negative signal to other consumer markets regarding the use of palm oil. Where consumers lack an informed perspective regarding sustainable production, the world may be in danger of heading towards no palm oil rather than sustainable palm oil. In the longer term, this could result in higher demand for other vegetable oils, which are in fact, less efficient and require more land for cultivation.
Therefore, it is time for Asia to consider how it can drive a higher demand for sustainable consumption, and reward the sustainable business practices that stem from the same region. Without a higher demand, Asia may be at risk of losing the momentum to continue to clean up its agroforestry supply chains and strive for higher sustainability standards.
Mainstreaming sustainable consumption will involve the collective efforts of governments, the private sector and civil society.
Governments play a critical role in this process not only because they are major buyers of agricultural products but more importantly, a top-down approach is often most effective in inspiring significant changes in Asian societies. For instance, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has adopted a sustainable sourcing code which covers timber, agricultural products, livestock products, fishery products, paper and sustainable palm oil.
At the same time, the industry needs to do more to improve and deepen engagements with consumers. Some of the major plantation companies and consumer goods giants have already made 2020 No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy commitments.
This means that the company will refrain from deforestation, avoid development on peat — which could become flammable during the dry season without careful water management, and result in dense and acrid haze pollution. The company will also ensure that there is no exploitation of anyone who is affected by the company’s operations.
Achieving the NDPE commitments will mean that companies have to be more transparent regarding their suppliers as well as meet growing expectations to address non-compliance in a timely manner.
But meeting these commitments may be insufficient without consumers recognizing the impacts achieved and understanding how their purchasing decisions can promote environmental and social good. This may require the industry — especially consumer-facing downstream companies — to work together to showcase positive stories and the resulting benefits of sustainable production.
Similarly, financial institutions — which came under scrutiny during the 2015 haze episode — would benefit from being more transparent about their sustainable financing policies and disclosing how they have engaged with errant companies.
This is because as companies and consumers become more environmentally- and socially-conscious, they may also be more discerning in the financial institutions they associate with, both for risk and reputation reasons.
In addition, non-governmental organizations can play an important role to raise awareness and encourage constructive discussion within the industry. In fact, the SIIA organizes the annual Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources to showcase progressive measures and highlight best practices in Southeast Asia’s plantation sector.
Chen Chen Lee is director (policy program) and Lau Xin Yi senior policy research analyst (sustainability) at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.


On a sensational, star-studded night, Jackie Chan, Ahmed Kathrada, Irrfan Khan, Norah Jones, Gok Wan, Sir David Tang and billionaire Lui Che Woo were among those honoured at The Asian Awards in Partnership with UBS, at The Grosvenor House Hotel.
April 9, 2014 - PRLog -- The second annual Top 100 Most Influential Asians* list was also launched, unveiling President of China, Xi Jinqping in top spot, followed by Indian leader, Sonia Gandhi, Vice Premier of China, Le Keqiang, and Indian election front runner Narendra Modi taking fourth place.
Chivas deluxe blended Scotch whisky was delighted to be the partner of The Asian Awards 2014. Chivas was also proud to present the new Public Servant of the Year award for the first time, won this year by Shalil Shetty (Amnesty International Secretary of Human Rights).
The Awards started with spectacular entertainment from singer and actress Preeya Kalidas, who performed for a room full of A-list guests, including Idris Elba, Zayn Malik, Naughty Boy, Beverley Knight, Laura Mvula, Gok Wan, Lydia Rose-Bright, Amy Willerton, Nina Wadia, Nitin Ganatra, Jasmin Walia, Gurinder Chadha, Adil Ray and Mark Ramprakash amongst others. The awards partnered with charity Oxfam and raised a significant sum for the foundation.
The ceremony was opened by The Asian Awards Founder, Paul Sagoo, followed by the presentation of the prestigious Founders Award by Golden Globe-winner Idris Elba, who honoured South African politician, former political prisoner and anti-Apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada. In an emotional, historic acceptance speech to a standing ovation, Ahmed dedicated the award to his brothers and sisters who did not live to see the freedom they fought for.
The coveted Fellowship Award went to Jackie Chan actor, director and martial artist who has been in the entertainment industry for 55 years. Legendary Indian actor, Irrfan Khan, was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. Irrfan has famously crossed over into western cinema, becoming the first Bollywood actor to star in two films that won the Academy Award for Best Director Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Life of Pi (2012).
Hong Kong’s second richest man with an estimated worth of US $22 billion, Lui Che Woo, picked up the Entrepreneur of the Year award; The Business Leader of the Year award went to Vaccine billionaire, Cyrus Poonawalla, Owner of Serum Institute of India, the world's largest producer of vaccines, making more than one billion doses annually. As of March 2014, Forbes estimates Poonawalla's net worth at $4.9 billion.
Noble prize-winning Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Science; while the Outstanding Achievement in Sport award went to Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Finally, Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the audience acknowledging the awards had grown from strength to strength, recognising the Asian Awards are the only Pan Sector Pan-Asian award ceremony in the world and stating how proud he was that they were held in London. In conclusion he paid tribute to the Founders Award recipient Ahmed Kathrada.
1) The Asian Awards in Partnership with UBS was conceived by Paul Sagoo, Founder of consultancy, Lemon Group. A celebration of excellence among the global Asian community, they were launched in 2010 and now recognise and reward the outstanding achievements of individuals born from anywhere within the Asian region across all disciplines of life - from business, the arts and culture to sport and public service. The ceremony draws 1,000 of the most influential people in the Asian community and has raised over £250,000 for charity.


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A VPN bypass flaw discovered last week in Android Jelly Bean 4.3 also exists in the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, KitKat 4.4, Israeli researchers say.
Ben Gurion University researchers found the initial bug and then did further testing to determine its existence in KitKat. The researchers published their latest findings on the university's Cyber Security Labs blog.
Google did not respond to a request for comment, but security experts said Wednesday the bugs in both versions of Android should be fixed quickly.
"I believe this is a serious issue," Paul Henry, a senior security instructor at the SANS Institute, said.
Because of differences in the OS versions, the same exploit code cannot be used, the researchers said. However, what can be accomplished by malware is the same.
The flaws make it possible for a malicious app to bypass a VPN (virtual private network) configuration and redirect the secure data communications to a different network address. The data is rerouted before it is encrypted.
The KitKat flaw is somewhat similar to what the same researchers found last December in Samsung's Knox security platform. That vulnerability could let a malicious app intercept files on Samsung S4 devices before they are stored in a secure Knox container.
Google and Samsung dismissed the reported Knox flaw, saying in a statement that the researchers' exploit "uses legitimate Android network functions in an unintended way to intercept unencrypted network connections from/to applications on the mobile device."
In essence, the researchers demonstrated a "class man-in-the-middle attack," which could be launched at any point on the network to capture unencrypted data, Google and Samsung said. The researchers did not exploit an actual vulnerability.
If the latest vulnerabilities prove to be real, then they should be fixed quickly, John Pirc, chief technology officer for security software tester NSS Labs, said. However, if Google finds that the flaw is in the network stack, "that is not trivial to fix."
In addition, any patch on Android takes time to reach users because it has to be rolled out by wireless carriers and device manufacturers.
In the meantime, Henry advises businesses to set their mobile device management systems to alert IT staff of any changes in the security settings associated with the VPN of an Android smartphone or tablet.


A Thornton couple who were flooded out of their home are unable to return eight months on.
Stephen and Paula Simpson spent weeks sleeping on their son’s sofa after they were flooded out of their New Lane home in November.
Now they say they are unable to move back into their beloved home, where they have lived for 22 years, and are living in a rented bungalow in Out Rawcliffe.
The damage caused to their home in the floods was estimated to be around £54-£56,000 by a surveyor. They say they were only offered £24,900 by their insurance company, Direct Line, to cover the house and its contents.
Paula, 61, said: “We haven’t got any carpets or tiling on the floor.
“Even the internal doors and skirting boards have to be replaced, because we had seven inches of water throughout the whole house.
“We lost absolutely everything on the ground floor – TVs, settees, coffee tables, tables and chairs, laptops and printers, and everything in the shed. I feel absolutely awful.
“We don’t want to be in a rented property.
“We want to be in our own house.
“We might have to get a loan for thousands of pounds to get our house back to normal.
Direct Line said: “We are sorry to hear about Mr and Mrs Simpson’s disappointment and sincerely apologise for the delay they have faced.
“As with many large claims like this, the building work required to repair Mr and Mrs Simpson’s home was put out to several different contractors to tender.


Prize ‘for his uniquely compelling methods of bringing people together’.
at a reception after the ceremony.
banks. Earlier this year he was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud.
Moscow – one every 3.9 days.
Bruniquel – erasing priceless cave paintings in the process.


Music has captured Minnesota Orchestra conductor laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski for most of his 88 years.
Go ahead, ask him anything. Stanislaw Skrowaczewski will give you a straight answer.
The decision to rename his orchestra more than 40 years ago still bugs him ("very wrong, really stupid"). The Twin Cities' cultural state displeases him ("too populist for me"). If he were in charge, he would not remodel Orchestra Hall for $50 million ("I'd put the money into great art").
At 88 years old, this eminent conductor and composer has earned the right to speak his mind freely. Yet, he does so without a hint of crankiness -- almost apologetic about his opinions and supremely gracious. He has accomplished too much in his life to carry real anger in his spirit.
His eyes are dim, his heart is "only half working," and he mentions several times during an interview how sad life has become since his wife of 55 years, Krystyna, died last fall. He himself never thought he would live beyond the year 2000, which had mystical value for him.
But he has lived, and thrived. The conductor laureate of the Minnesota Orchestra travels the globe and this summer plans to compose new work.
This week, Skrowaczewski makes his annual visit to conduct the orchestra he led for 19 years.
"If I would feel that I cannot do it well, I would stop," he said. "The last 10 to 15 years, as far as conducting, the message in the music is deeper and maybe better in me."
Appropriately, he will conduct the work of Anton Bruckner (Symphony No. 8) next weekend. It was the sound of Bruckner's music coming from an open window that put a 7-year-old Skrowaczewski into a trance on the streets of Lwow, Poland.
"Yes, I can still see that in my mind," he said.
Skrowaczewski was barely 37 and something of a novelty when he brought a program of Beethoven and Berlioz to his debut with the Minneapolis Symphony on Nov. 4, 1960. Lean, elegant and cosmopolitan, he came to Minnesota draped in intrigue, a refugee from behind the Iron Curtain.
A prodigy who composed his first work at 7 and conducted at 13, he had his nascent talent at the piano curbed forever when a brick wall fell on his hands during a World War II bombing raid. The Polish Communist regime dogged him following the war, particularly after he spent two years in Paris. He married Krystyna in 1956, and the bourgeois success of her family only exacerbated things.
"Life in Poland was becoming impossible," he said.
Still, his musical talent was unquestioned, and he led Poland's most prominent orchestras, at Katowice, Krakow and Warsaw. That reputation spread to the West, and in 1958, he was invited to a guest engagement with George Szell's Cleveland Orchestra. A year later, he met with officials of the Minneapolis Symphony on another trip to the United States and secretly agreed to succeed Antal Dorati as music director. Skrowaczewski had not set foot in Minneapolis, but he had heard recordings that piqued his interest.
"I heard the first oboe, wonderful, and the timpanist was extraordinary," he said. "The concertmaster, good soloists in the woodwinds. It was a very fine orchestra and because of this, I imagined the city must be fine."
So in 1960, Stan and Krystyna Skrowaczewski, each carrying a small suitcase, left Poland for a trip to Amsterdam. They defected to a new life in Minneapolis. In 1963, Stan and Krystyna moved out to a comfortable house in Wayzata and soon thereafter began a family. Perhaps it was the trauma of his early life -- the forced evacuation from his hometown during the war and the constant anxiety of living under totalitarianism. Or perhaps it was the ease and comfort of the Midwest. Whatever, in the transient world of classical music, Skrowaczewski still lives in the same house.
"It's a place he loves to be quiet in," said Fred Harris, music director of the MIT Wind Ensemble and Festival Jazz Ensemble and author of a new Skrowaczewski biography, "Seeking the Infinite." "His home mirrors his personality. There is order, activity, ritual."
The Twin Cities were on the come in the 1960s. The same year the Skrowaczewskis were settling into their new home, the Guthrie Theater was opening. The Children's Theatre Company would evolve a few years later. The museums were vibrant, and across the river was the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Skrowaczeski, the scholarly aesthete, was in his element. With his European savoir faire and his Cold War mystique, he became a darling of high society. The camera found him charming, and he eagerly invited photographers inside his world.
Musically, he began to build the orchestra with high-quality personnel and an expanded repertoire. He was a champion of new music, following a legacy most prominently associated with Dimitri Mitropoulous. Sometimes audiences felt they were being force-fed the contemporary work; Skrowaczewski makes no apologies.
"I would always try to put something irritating in the program," he said. "Even if I didn't believe in it, I felt it was important ferment. People were talking about it -- loving, hating, but talking."
Skrowaczewski was at the helm in the crucial decade when part-time orchestras evolved to full-time institutions. When he arrived, the Minneapolis Symphony played 18 concerts, one night a week, at Northrop Auditorium. At his departure in 1979, the season had grown to 24 dates, with another 20 in St. Paul at the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University).
Of course by then, the orchestra was playing in its own iconic concert hall on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. Orchestra Hall, which opened in 1974, could rightly be called "The House That Stan Built."
"Every conductor was unhappy with Northrop, and Stan was able to do something about it," said Richard Cisek, then general manager of the Minnesota Orchestra. "He really spearheaded the move and energized the board."
Asked about the coming $50 million remodeling project at Orchestra Hall, Skrowaczewski humbly notes that he is only conductor laureate, so "I have no opinion on this."
That said, such things as a beautiful lobby are external. "The art is internal," he said. "This is what is important."
In 1968, the board of directors decided to change the name of the Minneapolis Symphony to the Minnesota Orchestra. Good, square-headed ideas about the importance of the ensemble to the state did not land well with traditionalists such as Skrowaczewski.
"If not for my family, I would have left immediately," he said. "If you have a good orchestra with a name already known, you don't change it."
He stayed, though, until 1979 ("the time had come for change," as Cisek gracefully puts it). His 19 years tie those of Emil Oberhoffer, the Minneapolis Symphony's first music director, for longevity in the 109-year history of the organization.
"He is the face of orchestra music in the Twin Cities," said critic Michael Anthony, who has covered Skrowaczewski for more than three decades. "His 52-year connection here is longer than any one person has been associated with an orchestra in the world."
Named the first conductor laureate of the Minnesota Orchestra, Skrowaczewski kept his home here after stepping down, and has guest-conducted with every major orchestra in the United States, Europe and Japan. He has recorded more than 200 albums -- including 100 of his own compositions.
"He falls into the category of under-recognized," said biographer Harris. "His work is a language that stems from Eastern European influences such as Shostakovich, Messiaen and Szymanowski. It has the chance to be popular; it just needs to be heard."
Skrowaczewski had recently returned from conducting in Japan before sitting for an interview. His travel schedule waxes and wanes during the year, but he has firm plans to spend a long, uninterrupted stretch at home this summer, to meditate, to find the music pulsing through his being and compose.
"Composing will be healing," he said, referring to his sadness over Krystyna's passing. "It is inner healing, a long process of meditation and getting back to myself undisturbed. Otherwise, it is not worth it."
There clearly is melancholy in the man. He misses friends who have died. Once an avid skier and mountain climber, he can only smile at those memories.
Yet Skrowaczewski still possesses an inquisitive interest in life and seems to know deep within himself that there is work to be done, music to be interpreted and people to meet. If he laments the populism of modern culture, it is not because he begrudges the tastes of others. It is because of his passion for art.
"We never played for the public," he said of his orchestra here. "We played for the art and tried to convince the public that this is great art."
This dedication is what leads people such as his old friend Cisek to refer to Skrowaczewski as a true artist.
"Absolutely uncompromising without being compulsive about it," Cisek said. "He lives and breathes for the true form of artistic expression."
Harris calls his subject a unique figure in music history.
"There is no one in his generation working still as a conductor and a composer," Harris said. "He's still growing, which is remarkable at 88."


Cheer Pack North America celebrated its newly operational West Bridgewater packaging plant in September, giving tours of the retrofitted facility that will allow the company to more than double its production.
WEST BRIDGEWATER — Cheer Pack North America celebrated its newly operational West Bridgewater packaging plant in September, giving tours of the retrofitted facility that will allow the company to more than double its production.
Formerly located in Plymouth, Cheer Pack renovated an approximately 180,000-square-foot space, installing new equipment and infrastructure to create a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation, according to Steve Gosling, Cheer Pack president, who spoke at the ribbon-cutting event.
The $24 million renovation at One United Drive is nearly finished with some remaining work to be completed in office spaces, Gosling said on Sept. 25. Operation at the facility has already begun.
Incorporated in 2010, with only a handful of employees, Cheer Pack has seen tremendous growth as its products have taken off in North America. The company got started with just two employees, one of them Gosling, in 2009 and now has a staff of 109. It is one of 19 finalists statewide for MassEcon's 2012 economic impact award.
Cheer Pack started production by importing from partner companies in Asia and Europe but has been working toward full U.S. manufacturing capability, something the new building will make happen, according to Gosling. Cheer Pack intends "to produce a 100 percent North American made product and that starts with this building," he told ribbon-cutting attendees.
The company plans to be producing 500 million units annually with 130 employees by the end of the year, he said, adding that the facility has the potential to do even more than that, up to 1 billion units.
"So we'll just add equipment as needed and infrastructure as needed," said Gosling.
Started by CDF Corporation, a Plymouth-based packaging company, Cheer Pack is a partnership between CDF, Hosokawa Yoko in Japan, and Gualapack in Italy. Its flexible pouch technology was invented by Hosokawa Yoko director Toru Ichikawa and first produced about 20 years ago in Asia.
The move to bring the product to North America came through CDF Corporation president Joseph Sullivan Jr., who is one of Cheer Pack's three owners. At the ribbon-cutting event, Sullivan praised both of his partners in making the venture happen, particularly noting Ichikawa's contributions as an innovator.
"He has invented many, many products and this is just one of them," he said.
In Asia and Europe, Cheer Pack technology is used for a variety of products including self-serve ice cream; however, the North American market has seen most of its growth to date in baby food markets, according to Cheer Pack director of sales and marketing, Blair Vance.
"Over the last two years, the baby food category has gone through an evolutionary process where the old glass jars have faded out and packaging such as ours have really aligned themselves with the needs of consumers," said Vance.
Its success is due to a number of factors, including the pouch's lightweight and flexible material, he said. Cheer Pack packages can also be resealed, have secure safety caps, and a tamper evident seal that is safe for children.
Vance said Cheer Pack sees continued growth in its existing markets as well as in new ones like energy products, sports neutraceuticals, gourmet sauces and soups, and dairy products.


STARKVILLE, MS (WLBT) - A dominating fourth quarter helped the No. 6 Mississippi State women’s basketball team cruise to a 91-63 win over Tennessee Sunday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
A sellout crowd of 10,021, State’s fourth of 10,000 or more this season, cheered the Maroon and White to a fifth win in the last six series meetings with the tradition-rich Lady Vols (15-8, 4-6 SEC). The 28-point victory was the Lady Vols largest defeat ever in conference play and was tied for their second-largest margin of defeat overall.
MSU (22-1, 10-1 SEC) extended its SEC winning streak to 26 games, tying Auburn for the sixth longest streak in the league’s history.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight contest with 30 points in the fourth quarter. MSU has scored 80 or more points eight time in conference play.
Tearia McCowan (24 points, 15 rebounds) and Anriel Howard (16 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Bulldogs. Jordan Danberry added 20 points, for the fourth time in her career, while Andra Espinoza-Hunter scored 11.
A fast-paced first-quarter saw the Bulldogs grab an early 9-4 lead. A Jazzmun Holmes layup ran the lead to 20-15. Danberry later followed with a basket to end the first quarter scoring with the Bulldogs ahead 25-17.
A 3-point play by Holmes ran the lead to 28-17. The Lady Vols then battled back. The deficit was trimmed to 32-28 with 5:10 left in the half. Bre’Amber Scott capped a 6-0 run with a basket for a 38-28 lead.
MSU overcame 29.4 percent shooting in the second half to still hold a 40-34 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, a jumper by McCowan pushed the lead to nine at 47-38. The Lady Vols came back with six straight to pull within three. The Bulldogs followed with the final six points of the quarter for a 61-49 lead.
The Bulldogs used a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to open a 76-51 lead. Scott hit a 3-pointer and later worked her way back to the line for a pair of free throws. McCowan followed with a basket for an 86-57 lead.
MSU held a 38-30 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 17 assists with just eight turnovers, their lowest mark in that category in SEC play this year.
Tennessee received 29 points from Rennia Davis and 13 points from Zaay Green. Cheridene Green had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Thursday, Feb. 14 for a late-night tip against Missouri. The Tigers visit Humphrey Coliseum at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.


A near life-long friendship will go out of the window for at least 80 minutes tomorrow night (Thursday) when two old Australian pals fight for the right to reach the pinnacle of the Rugby League season - the Old Trafford Grand Final.
Saints’ coach Justin Holbrook and his Warrington counterpart Steve Price, who played together as juniors Down Under and were near neighbours, will be pitting their wits against each other in a play-off semi-final which could turn into a classic encounter.
This is born out by the fact that the last time the two met at the Totally Wicked Stadium in July a last-gasp long range penalty from hot-shot scrum half Danny Richardson earned St Helens a nail-biting 14-12 victory.
Holbrook - seeking to reach his first final as a first team coach - said: “The last few weeks have been a little awkward but now we can dust ourselves down and move on.
“However, home advantage doesn’t guarantee us victory but we love playing at the Totally Wicked Stadium and earned the right to stage a semi-final due to our consistency throughout the year.
The head coach added: “It will be a completely a different game to our victory at Warrington a few weeks ago.
Wolves’ boss Steve Price said:’’The reason we play this sport is to win trophies.
“We’re 80 minutes away from Old Trafford and we’re going to have to raise our game a couple more levels on Thursday night. The lads understand that.
St Helens have been the benchmark team all season. We’ll be underdogs but we’re happy with that tag.


The competition within the game is between two, talented, young players.
In the end, there can only be one.
The battle for the final roster spot is being played out between two second-year players, guards Erick Green and Nick Johnson. The Nuggets will carry a third point guard on the team, and these two are vying for that spot.
While the situation may be stressful to the players involved, the Nuggets can’t choose wrong either way.
Timofey Mozgov has picked up right where he left off from his breakout campaign last season. His camp has been good, and during games he continues to separate himself in the question as to who starts at center for the Nuggets this season. As it stands now, there isn’t a question; Mozzy’s the guy until the job is taken from him.
His 20 points and eight rebounds in the Nuggets’ win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night were built on smart basketball combined with aggressiveness. In an 8-for-8 shooting performance, he was routinely in the right spots offensively, always aware and ready to receive a pass or clean up missed attempts. Defensively, he blocked three shots, showing quick feet to beat the offensive player to a spot, and great awareness in the type of defensive play needed at that time. All three blocks were of the help defense variety — on Andre Roberson, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Durant block was highlight-reel material, but was also an ode to using proper verticality to get a great shot contest finished off with a block at the top of the play.
Darrell Arthur’s contract. All things considered, Darrell Arthur would like to stay.
The Nuggets forward is entering the final season of a contract he signed when he played for the Memphis Grizzlies. Traded to the Nuggets last summer, Arthur will be a unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He’ll be paid $3.4 million this season.
Chauncey Billups, who recently retired after spending 17 seasons in the NBA, is attending the Wolves’ training camp as the guest of coach and president Flip Saunders, according to the team.
Billups, a Colorado hoops legend and former Nugget, has a long history with Saunders. Billups signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent in 2000 and spent two seasons in Minnesota, with Saunders as his coach. Billups then signed with Detroit in 2002, and a year after leading Pistons to a title in 2004, Saunders signed on as their coach.
Recently-retired Chauncey Billups spending a couple of days w/ the #Twolves during camp as Flip Saunders' guest. Will be here today/tmrw.
At Nuggets media day on Monday, it was clear something was different about Kenneth Faried. And it wasn’t just the massive chunk of gold around his neck. He was always a confident guy, but not like this. Not with the determination and eagerness to continue to prove people wrong.
He spoke about how the medal was a bit of validation for him and how it proved to himself, and others, that he can be one of the game’s top power forwards. But as he spoke, it was also clear that this outlook was a result of the summer and his time with Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Under Krzyzewski, Faried learned how to lead.
Faried said Krzyzewski called him before the team arrived in Spain for the FIBA World Cup to give him a fair warning that he would not be a starter. Faried accepted that, and was mentally prepared to come off the bench.
But come practice, Krzyzewski threw him in with the starters. No heads up. No anything.
“He sat me down and said, ‘Look I need you to be the guy you are. Don’t come in here thinking you have to take a back seat to any of these guys. Lead by example, lead by your words. If you say something, I’m going to back it up,'” Faried said.
Earning the respect of Krzyzewski was a huge confidence boost for Faried.
Veteran swingman Alonzo Gee has been traded three times and waived once, all in the span of the last three months. But according to RealGM.com, he’s caught the interest of the Nuggets.
Gee, 27, averaged four points and 2.3 rebounds in 65 games with the Cavaliers last season, but was traded to New Orleans in July to make room for LeBron James. Gee was then traded to Houston as part of the three-team deal for Omer Asik, and was then shipped to Sacramento as part of the Jason Terry trade. Three days ago, Gee was waived by the Kings.
The Nuggets already have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Quincy Miller and Erick Green on partially guaranteed contracts. That means those two, along with training camp invites Marcus Williams and Joe Alexander (and possibly Gee, now) will be fighting for the final two spots. The team can carry 17 players on their roster in the preseason, but they must whittle it down to 15 before the start of the regular season.
The #Nuggets roster is pretty much set. There are 13 guaranteed contracts. Erick Green was signed w/the expectation his spot is secure..


The robotics specialist shows improvement in every key metric to blow past Wall Street's expectations for its third quarter.
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Shares of iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) shot up more than 16% in early trading Wednesday following a blowout earnings report by the home-helper robotics specialist after the end of trading on Tuesday.
Wall Street's analysts had expected revenue of $134.8 million and earnings of $0.33 per share for the third quarter, but iRobot came in well above both estimates with $143.5 million in third-quarter revenue and $0.48 in EPS. Home robots led the way, as the segment's 19% year-over-year growth more than compensated for a modest 5% year-over-year improvement in defense sales. The average sale price per home robot also improved from $225 a year ago to $244 in the current quarter, helping to offset a unit price decline in defense robotics. Both segments improved their gross margins significantly, which helps explain iRobot's strong bottom-line beat.
Looking ahead, iRobot expects to earn between $0.26-$0.31 per share for the fourth quarter on a range of $158 million-$167 million in revenue. These ranges fall below Wall Street's expectations for $167.8 million in revenue and $0.35 in EPS. However, iRobot updated its full-year guidance range for the bottom line, as it now anticipates EPS in the range of $1.20-$1.25 on revenue ranging from $555 million-$565 million. Wall Street had expected $556.2 million in revenue, but only $1.14 in EPS, so iRobot's full-year expectations now look better than analysts' projections, particularly on the bottom line.


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