Obama makes national address on oil

US President Barack Obama has made a televised address to the nation outlining his government’s response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

He demanded that oil firm BP fully compensate communities affected by the spill.

Mr Obama will meet BP executives at the White House later on Wednesday.

He was speaking from the Oval Office, traditionally reserved for the most sombre and important moments in US national life.

The speech comes as opinion polls suggest a majority of Americans disapprove of how the president has handled the disaster.
Clean-energy plea

In his speech, Mr Obama likened the spill to an “epidemic” and reiterated that BP would be made to pay for the damage.

“We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long it takes,” he said.

He also used the speech to renew calls for the US to embark on a future of clean energy.
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De Rossi saves point for champions

Defending champions Italy had to come from behind to salvage a draw in their World Cup Group F opener against Paraguay in Cape Town.

Having played well in the first half at Green Point Stadium the 2006 winners were shocked when Wigan-bound defender Antolin Alcaraz rose to head home a 39th-minute free-kick.

But Italy’s blushes were spared as Daniele De Rossi slid in to punish a mistake by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar after 63 minutes and take a point from the match. As expected, Italy coach Marcello Lippi had left Serie A’s top goalscorer Antonio Di Natale on the bench, instead selecting Alberto Gilardino with Vincenzo Iaquinta out wide.

Gerardo Martino also opted to leave out his two highest-profile forwards in Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo and Manchester City man Roque Santa Cruz. Instead, Borussia Dortmund team-mates Lucas Barrios and Nelson Valdez were deployed in attack.

Claudio Morel had to be alert to stop Simone Pepe pouncing on a dangerous ball at the back post in the sixth minute as Italy set the early pace. Despite some neat passing moves, chances were few and far between.
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White rice ‘raises diabetes risk’, say US experts

Replacing white rice with brown rice and wholemeal bread could cut the risk of diabetes by a third, US experts say.

White rice poses a diabetes threat because it causes steep rises in blood sugar, say Harvard researchers in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Brown rice and other wholegrain foods are a healthier option as they release glucose more gradually, they say.

The study is based on questionnaires; some say the data is not robust enough to base firm conclusions on.

It may be that people who eat less white rice tend to live healthier lifestyles, for example.
‘Brown is better’

In the study of nearly 200,000 US people, white rice consumption was linked to type 2 diabetes.

After adjusting for age and other diabetes risk factors, those who ate five or more 150g servings of white rice per week had a 17% increased risk of diabetes compared with people who consumed less than one serving – about a cup of rice – per month.
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Microsoft unveils Xbox ‘Kinect’ motion controller

Microsoft has revealed final details of its Xbox 360 hands-free motion control system, which it has rebranded Kinect.

The device, which was originally codenamed Project Natal, was showcased ahead of the opening of the E3 games expo, which starts on 15 June in LA.

Microsoft has said Kinect will hit shelves before the end of the year.

It will face competition from Sony’s PlayStation Move controller and Nintendo’s upgraded WiiMotion Plus.

Both are expected to feature at the E3 expo, which runs from 15-17 June.

Kinect was shown off at a glitzy event alongside compatible games, which support the new hands-free interface and, in some cases, the facial and voice recognition capabilities.
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Michael Schumacher escapes Felipe Massa penalty

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher will not be punished for his part in an incident with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa during the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion was referred to the stewards after he made contact with Massa near the end of the race.

The incident damaged the front of Massa’s car, with the Brazilian needing to come in for a new front wing.

Renault’s Robert Kubica and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari were handed reprimands for two separate incidents.

Kubica was reprimanded for “a dangerous entry to the pits” while Alguersuari was referred to the stewards following his collision with Williams driver Rubens Barrichello.

Schumacher and Massa were battling with six laps to go when the German appeared to cut across the Ferrari as he returned to the racing line at Turn 12.
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FTC will investigate Apple

The Federal Trade Commission will open an investigation into whether Apple is illegally using its position in the mobile software market to harm competitors, according to several published reports.

On Friday afternoon, both Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal reported that the FTC had opened a formal probe.

At issue is Apple’s recent tweaking of its App Store rules. In May, Apple made changes that prohibit certain developer tools from being used to create applications for the iPhone and iPad, and on Monday effectively blocked Google’s AdMob and other non-independent mobile ad networks from accessing applications on the iPhone.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The probe will look at whether Apple is using its highly successful App Store to hurt competitors. When Apple changed the rules on which tools could be used to write apps sold in the App Store it raised eyebrows, as the shifts seemed to specifically target Adobe, with whom Apple recently had a public fallout.
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Maradona’s Argentina ease to opening victory

(CNN) — Argentina’s star-studded line-up began their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in their Group B opener in Johannesburg.

A goal from defender Gabriel Heinze after six minutes was all that separated the two teams after an inspired display from Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

He could do little to stop Heinze’s powerful header from a Juan Sebastian Veron corner, but Enyeama kept his team alive with a string of acrobatic saves to deny World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.

Diego Maradona was delighted to secure his first victory as a World Cup coach, but critical of his strikers for failing to make the game safe.

“When you don’t kill things off in front of goal you can pay a heavy price. They almost got a draw — we missed loads of chances,” Maradona told AFP.
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Obama to address nation on oil disaster Tuesday night

President Obama addresses the nation live Tuesday night at 8 ET with the latest on the BP oil disaster. Stay with CNN for updates on the cleanup and effort to stop the leak.

Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama will visit the Gulf states affected by the oil spill on Monday and Tuesday and then address the nation on Tuesday night from the White House on the next steps in responding to the environmental catastrophe, his senior adviser said Sunday.

On his fourth visit to the Gulf region since the disaster began on April 20, Obama will make stops in Theodore, Alabama; Gulfport, Mississippi, and Pensacola, Florida, according to senior administration officials.

After returning from the two-day trip, Obama will make a televised statement from the Oval Office on the night before he is scheduled to meet with top BP officials.

David Axelrod, the senior adviser to Obama, said the president would push BP to create a BP-funded escrow account that will pay for damage claims from the worsening oil spill. In addition, Axelrod said, the plan would call for an independent third party to handle the claims process.

“The president will use every legal device at his disposal to make sure that this money is escrowed and that there is an independent administrator so that claims are not slow-walked, people can get the relief they need in a timely fashion and that we don’t create more victims from this terrible disaster,” Axelrod told reporters.
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Germany 4-0 Australia

Germany provided a real signal of intent with a thrilling demolition of 10-man Australia to get their 2010 World Cup campaign off to a flying start.

Coming into the tournament without injured talisman Michael Ballack, doubts over the future of coach Joachim Loew and the second-youngest squad in the competition, many might have expected Germany to struggle in South Africa.

But if their effervescent display in Durban is anything to go by, the three-time champions could be real contenders for the title come 11 July.

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose continued their remarkable scoring record at international level with a goal apiece to take their joint tally to 88, Thomas Mueller and Cacau added the gloss, while in playmaker Mesut Ozil they appear to have found a real superstar.

They were aided by the harsh dismissal of Australia’s key man Tim Cahill, given a straight red card for a clumsy but hardly malevolent challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger on 55 minutes.

Germany, though, had given notice of their attacking class long before that.
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South Africa denied as World Cup carnival kicks off

(CNN) — Hosts South Africa opened the 2010 World Cup with a 1-1 draw with Mexico on Friday as the world’s greatest sporting spectacle arrived on the African continent for the first time.

An estimated global audience of hundreds of millions watched as the home side’s Siphiwe Tshabalala crashed home the first goal of the tournament early in the second half to send Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium into ecstatic celebrations.

Mexico’s Rafael Marquez leveled the scores with 11 minutes left, beating goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune from close range. But South Africa’s Katlego Mphela missed a golden opportunity to win the match in the final moments as his shot bounced back off the post.

A deafening drone sounded around the 94,000-capacity showpiece arena as home fans greeted the teams by blowing on vuvuzelas — the plastic horn that has become a symbol of South African football.

South African President Jacob Zuma, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and FIFA President Sepp Blatter were introduced to the two sides before kickoff.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we as a country are humbled by this honor to host one of the biggest tournaments of the world,” Zuma said. “Africa is indeed happy. This is the African World Cup. I declare the 2010 FIFA World Cup open.”
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