Chinese acrobats perform in Bogota

 Chinese acrobats perform in Bogota :BOGOTA: The Chinese Chengdu Acrobatic Group, an elite group of Chinese acrobats, performed in a circus in Bogota and astonished the audience from their skills.

The group began performing from Friday in Bogota's Palacio de los Deportesm Columbia. Subscribers to El Tiempo received a 30% discount.

The Chinese acrobats have performed for presidents and heads of state, as well as in the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympics.

The performance consisted of 14 different routines, each of which lasted about seven minutes. The group also performed "dreams of a child elf," the acrobatic story of a young restless child who aspires to become the greatest acrobat in the world.

Kvitova stuns Sharapova to take Wimbledon crown

    Kvitova stuns Sharapova to take Wimbledon crownv :LONDON: Petra Kvitova stunned favourite Maria Sharapova to win her first Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the women's singles final at Wimbledon here Saturday.

The 21-year-old eighth seed became only the third Czech woman to triumph at Wimbledon after nine-time champion Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna, who were both in Centre Court's royal box to witness the victory.

Kvitova, who had never appeared in a Grand Slam final before, collapsed to the turf in delight after clinching the title in the 10th game of the second set with her first ace of the match.

But it was a desperately disappointing outcome for Russian fifth seed Sharapova, the 2004 champion who had been heavily favoured to win her fourth Grand Slam crown.

Sharapova ultimately paid the price for a faltering service game which Kvitova was able to break regularly throughout.

A nervous start saw Kvitova and Sharapova both suffer breaks of serve in the opening two games before the match settled into its rhythm.

Kvitova fought off a Sharapova break point in the third game before holding to take a 2-1 lead.

The decisive break came in the sixth game when Sharapova's serve - which had looked shaky during her semi-final win over Sabine Lisicki - let the Russian down again.

A double-fault gifted Kvitova a break for a 4-2, which swiftly became 5-2.

Sharapova's problems on serve continued in the next game, where she was forced to save a set point in the face of some relentless groundstrokes from Kvitova before holding for 5-3.

Kvitova was not to be denied in the next game however, the Czech's left-handed spin on serve causing all sorts of problems for Sharapova as she successfully held to take the set.

Another poor service game from Sharapova saw her double-fault at 30-40 down to gift Kvitova her third break of the match.

But Sharapova was able to carve out a break to level at 2-2, when Kvitova failed to put away a routine smash which allowed the Russian to lob.

The problems which had dogged Sharapova's serve resurfaced in the next game however, and the former world number one was soon break point down.

Sharapova saved that one but Kvitova made no mistake to convert her second,
bludgeoning an unstoppable forehand return past her opponent for a 3-2 lead.

Sharapova again conjured up a break to bounce back to 3-3 but her failure to address the vulnerability of her own serve proved costly once more as she was broken for the third time in the second set to trail 3-4.

Kvitova duly held for the remainder of the set to seal a deserved win.

Prince William, Kate to visit Quebec

                                            Prince William, Kate to visit Quebec :OTTAWA, Ontario-Prince William and Kate travel to the French-speaking province of Quebec on Saturday where protests by a small group of separatists are expected as the royal newlyweds continue a nine-day journey through Canada on their first official overseas trip.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge started the third day of their Canadian tour with a tree-planting ceremony at Government House that has become a royal family tradition and a visit to the Canadian War Museum.
Saturday's small, low-key gatherings in Ottawa contrasted with Friday's celebration of Canada Day when Prince William and Kate stole the show as they were feted by Canadian leaders and cheered by tens of thousands who lined the streets to get a glimpse of the royal couple.
Prince William, wearing a dark blue suit, and Kate, dressed in a grey, fitted knee-length Kensington dress by British designer Catherine Walker, each wielded a shovel as they helped plant a Canadian hemlock - a tree known for its longevity meant to symbolize their marriage.
Their tree was the 17th planted by a member of the British royal family in a tradition dating back to 1939. Prince William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, planted trees on previous visits at Rideau Hall, the official residence of both the Canadian monarch and Governor General, the queen's representative in Canada.
The royal couple chatted with Canadian newlyweds who were married on April 29, the same day as their royal wedding, as well as couples celebrating their 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries.
William asked CB Marsh, who recently celebrated his 70th anniversary with his wife Edna, asked what advice he could give him. "I told him the ability to duck. He seemed to enjoy that," the 94-year-old Marsh said.
The royal couple also met Terry Joyce, 47, who has terminal cancer. Joyce was told six weeks ago that he had 12 weeks to live and said it was one of his last wishes to meet the couple.
"They were very comforting," he said.
The couple then attended a reception at the Canadian War Museum with veterans of conflicts from World War II to Afghanistan. The couple met with the veterans and with war brides - about 45,000 women came from Europe to Canada as war brides after World War II, most of them from the United Kingdom.
Moments after entering the museum, the couple walked over to a group of seated women who served as nurses in the Canadian military during World War II and the Korean War. The royal pair spent several minutes with the women.
Some in the room pulled out photos to show the couple, likely taken during the conflicts, asWilliam and Kate listened attentively to their stories. Others handed them flowers.
The royal couple departed Ottawa to Quebec afternoon for a two-day stay. In Montreal, they were to visit a children's hospital and later put on aprons and take part in a cooking workshop before boarding a navy ship for an overnight trip down the St. Lawrence Seaway to Quebec City.
Quebec nationalist groups said they plan to protest the royal couple's visit. The militant separatist group, Reseau de Resistance du Quebecois, or Quebecker Resistance Network, announced plans for aa small protest Saturday outside the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre during the royal couple's visit, said RRQ spokesman Julien Gaudreau.
The group plans a larger protest outside city hall in Quebec City on Sunday, with supporters coming in by bus from other parts of the province, said Gaudreau.
"We want the message to get across that the monarchy is not welcome in Quebec - there are people who aren't happy," said Patrick Bourgeois, leader of the Quebecker Resistance Network. "We want it to be unpleasant for him."
A 2009 visit by Prince William's father, Prince Charles, to Montreal was disrupted by more than 200 separatist protesters. The protesters sat in the street, blocking the prince's way into a ceremony planned at an armory, and threw eggs at the soldiers who were accompanying him and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple were forced to enter the building through a back door and missed an elaborate welcoming ceremony that had been planned.
Prince William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, found herself in the eye of a Quebec nationalist storm during a trip in 1964. As she toured Montreal, helmeted police officers clashed with several hundred boisterous marchers, who flashed obscene, two-finger "V''signs at the young monarch.
In 1990, Canada Day celebrations were disrupted briefly by protesters from Quebec who booed and turned their back on the queen.
However, support for the separatists among Quebeckers has been on the decline in recent years as the 80-percent French-speaking province has enjoyed plenty of autonomy even without quitting Canada.
In the May 2 parliamentary elections, the separatist Bloc Quebecois slumped from 47 seats to four in the 308-seat federal Parliament, rendering it all but impotent at the national level at a time when Quebec separatists are also out of office in their own province.
Prince William and Kate arrived Thursday to cheering crowds of thousands in Ottawa, Canada's largely English-speaking capital. Poised and confident, they have thrilled crowds with warm, unscripted gestures, wading into throngs of well-wishers to shake hands and accept flowers and other gifts.
But the trip to Quebec isn't expected to be as welcoming. Some Quebec residents this year said they are unexcited about the visit and angry that taxpayer money is being used to pay for the royal tour. Johane Beaupre, a 46-year-old Montreal teacher, said she will not attend a protest but supports the protesters' cause.
"It's an unnecessary expense that yields nothing," Beaupre said of the visit. "(The monarchy) is a thing of the past."
Michael Behiels, an Ottawa University professor, said there was much hostility between the French and the English in the years following Great Britain's 1759 Conquest of New France - which is present day Quebec.
Behiels said public support in Quebec for the British royal family also dropped in the 20th century, after the province's youth were conscripted to serve in the First and Second World Wars and when Quebec's separatism movement gained momentum in the 1960s.
The royal couple leave Canada for a three-day trip to California on July 8.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first landing in Japan

                                 Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first landing in Japan :TOKYO - Boeing Co. 'S long-delayed 787 completed its maiden trans-Pacific journey and landed in Japan, where the more fuel-efficient jet will undergo testing this week with All Nippon Airways in preparation for its first commercial launch.
The "Dreamliner" touched down at Tokyo's Haneda Airport from Seattle early Sunday to applause and a white "Welcome to Japan" banner held by flight attendants and workers. Two fire trucks shot out celebratory arches of water as the aircraft approached the hangar.
ANA even offered a live video feed of the landing on Ustream. As of Sunday afternoon, the video had been viewed more than 37,000 times.
Pilot Masayuki Ishii said he stayed calm during the flight but grew emotional upon landing and seeing the excitement on the ground.
"I was moved beyond my own expectations," he told reporters.
The 787's much-anticipated arrival marks the near-end of a long wait by ANA, the first customer in line for the next-generation aircraft. Boeing missed the initial May 2008 delivery target and has repeatedly delayed its introduction because of problems in development.
The twin-engine jet is made mostly of carbon fiber and other composite materials instead of aluminum, making it lighter and 20 percent more fuel-efficient than other mid-sized airliners, according to Boeing.
As airlines around the world grapple with rising fuel prices, demand is high for low-consumption planes.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. has taken orders for 835 of the Dreamliners, and hopes to deliver the first one to ANA in August or September.
ANA has ordered 55 787s. Qantas and United Continental Holdings Inc. have each ordered 50, and Japan Airlines has ordered 35.
Rival Airbus' competitor with the 787, the A350, is scheduled to enter service with Qatar Airways in 2013. Airbus has racked up nearly 600 orders for the new jetliner, which is also made mainly of carbon-fiber polymers.
ANA, the world's eighth-largest airline by revenue, considers the Dreamliner an integral part of its global expansion efforts. Because of the 787's range, ANA plans to use it on a number of new long-haul routes that were not previously commercially viable because there were not enough passengers to justify using larger aircraft such as the Boeing 747.
The cabin will have bigger windows and larger overhead compartments. ANA also says passengers will be more comfortable because air pressure during flights will be equivalent to an altitude of 6,000 feet instead of the conventional 8,000 feet.
Masami Tsukamoto, another pilot who flew from Seattle on Sunday, said the higher oxygen level made a noticeable difference on the nine-hour trip.
"Maybe part of it was because we were excited, but compared to regular flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco, I didn't feel so tired," he said.
The test aircraft will fly several of ANA's domestic routes out of Tokyo this week to confirm the jet's readiness for passenger travel. Maintenance crews will also practice refueling, towing and other routine servicing operations.
It is scheduled to depart for Seattle on Saturday, according to ANA.
___
AP Airlines Writer Josh Freed in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Iran denies U.S. hikers were mistreated in jail

        Iran denies U.S. hikers were mistreated in jail ;NEW YORK - Iran denied in a statement issued by its UN mission on Friday that two U.S. citizens detained on spying charges have been mistreated, saying they had consular contact and a visit from their families. 
Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, together with Bauer's fiancee Sarah Shourd, were arrested by Iranian forces on July 31, 2009, on suspicion of spying after crossing into Iran from neighboring Iraq. 
Shourd, who was released on bail in September and returned home, has insisted the trio were innocent hikers who unintentionally crossed the unmarked border into Iran. 
The families said in a letter released on Thursday that Fattal and Bauer had been subjected to psychological torture as a result of extreme isolation, had been denied access to their lawyer and to consular visits from Swiss diplomats who represent US interests in Iran. 
The letter, addressed to Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations human rights investigator on Iran, also claimed Fattal and Bauer were assaulted and sexually harassed by a prison guard. 
"Two years later, Shane and Josh are still in prison in deplorable conditions," Shourd said at a press briefing at the United Nations earlier in the week. 
Iran's mission to the United Nations called these "baseless allegations" in a press statement released late on Friday. 
"We categorically deny Ms Shourd's recent false claims and the repeat of the same allegations by some family members, about the treatment of the two US citizens by Iranian authorities," the statement said. 
The families said they met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier in the week and said in a press release on Thursday that Ban had called Bauer and Fattal's imprisonment "totally unacceptable." A U.N. spokesman could not immediately vouch for the accuracy of the quote. 
Iran's statement also alleged there are Iranian citizens "imprisoned in the US under false and unproven accusations." It called on the United Nations to "play an effective role" in clarifying "the fate of ... imprisoned Iranians in the US" 
Bauer and Fattal pleaded not guilty at a closed-door court hearing on February 6. Iran is scheduled to hear the case against them on July 31. Under Iran's Islamic law, espionage can be punished by execution. 
Iran's statement said "any attempt to politicize the matter beyond its legal nature would be harmful and useless". 
The case has further complicated relations between Tehran and Washington already fraught over Iran's nuclear activity. 
The U.S. State Department in June renewed its call on Iran, with which Washington has no diplomatic ties, to release the two men. 
Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of an atomic energy program. Tehran denies this, saying its nuclear activity is entirely peaceful..

Syria's Assad sacks Hama governor after protests Listen

                                      Syria's Assad sacks Hama governor after protests Listen :BEIRUT: President Bashar al-Assad sacked the governor of Hama province on Saturday, a day after tens of thousands of protesters massed in the provincial capital to demand the Syrian leader step down.
The demonstration in Hama, scene of a bloody crackdown by Assad's father nearly 30 years ago, was part of nationwide protests which activists said were some of the biggest since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted 14 weeks ago. The protests took place while Assad's troops, backed by tanks and helicopters, pursued a military campaign in the northwestern province of Idlib where a prominent rights lawyer said 14 villagers were killed on Friday.
Another 10 people were shot dead by security forces who confronted demonstrators in the central city of Homs, Damascus suburbs and the Mediterranean city of Latakia, activists said.
State news agency SANA agency said Assad issued a decree dismissing Ahmad Khaled Abdulaziz, governor of Hama province, without giving details. Hama was the site of an armed uprising against Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, who sent the army to crush the revolt in 1982. At least 10,000 people were killed and part of the old city was flattened in the military operation.
One month ago, activists said Syria forces killed at least 60 protesters in the city, in one of the bloodiest days of the uprising against Assad. Residents said security forces and snipers had fired on crowds of demonstrators. Assad has also promised a national dialogue to discuss political reform in Syria, and authorities say preliminary talks with the opposition will take place on July 10.
Prominent opposition figures plan to convene their own 'national salvation' conference in Damascus on July 16 to reach a broad-based blueprint for solving Syria's political crisis.
"In light of the military solution chosen by the regime to end the revolution, the conference aims to reach a consensus guided by the popular protest movement for a transitional period and a national salvation government that lays the foundation for a new constitution and free elections, "said a statement by the organisers sent to Reuters. It was signed by 50 figures including Kurdish leader Mishaal al-Tammo, former judge Haitham al-Maleh, Nawaf al-Bashir, a tribal leader from eastern Deir al-Zor province, economist Aref Dalila and Walid al-Bunni, a physician who took part in the Damascus Spring movement crushed by Assad ten years ago. Rights groups say Syrian security forces have shot dead at least 1,300 civilians since the protests started and arrested over 12,000. Authorities say 500 police and soldiers have been killed by gunmen they also blame for most civilian deaths.