Rough and ready Open suits Westwood - ESPN.co.uk
Lee Westwood has no issues with the controversial rough at Royal Lytham & St Annes, insisting players deserve to be punished for hitting the ball off line.
The players arrived at Lytham for the Open Championship on the back of one of the wettest summers in years and as such the normal wispy grass has been replaced in parts by lush patches of thick grass.
It has been described by Tiger Woods as "unplayable" in parts and Westwood feels there may be occasions when the best option is to take a drop. But it is not something he is overly perturbed by as he says it will not affect the players who hit the ball in the fairways.
"This is a tough test, as Lytham always is," Westwood said. "They have changed a par five to a par four, so the scoring is going to be a bit higher. They have lengthened a couple of holes, the 11th is much longer, traps are more in play. The seventh is longer, so it is one of the toughest tests I have played on in an Open Championship.
"I am sure there are some unplayable places in the rough, it is pretty thick and brutal, but if you don't go in it you won't have a problem with it.
"There might be times when it might be better to take your punishment and take a drop. But that is part of the game of golf, there should be penalties for hitting it off line."
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
Russian upper house backs WTO entry - Reuters UK
MOSCOW, July 18 |
MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - Russia's upper house of parliament voted on Wednesday to ratify entry into the World Trade Organisation, which now needs only the signature of President Vladimir Putin to complete the country's 18-year bid to join the trade rules club.
Russia will finally become the WTO's 156th member 30 days after Putin signs off on a deal struck last December that would require Moscow to cut import tariffs and open up key sectors of its economy to foreign investment.
The Federation Council vote, carried easily with 144 lawmakers for in the 166-strong chamber, was a formality after the State Duma lower house backed WTO entry last week by a 30-seat majority.
Opposition lawmakers have opposed accession on fears that Russian industry and farmers cannot compete on world markets.
The Russian government has said that it will start cutting tariffs from Sept. 1 after agreeing to gradually lower import duties from an average of 9.5 percent now to 6 percent by 2015.
The United States could, however, miss out on those trade benefits if Congress does not vote to repeal a Cold War-era provision that links awarding so-called permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to emigration rights for Soviet Jews.
The Jackson-Vanik amendment, which dates back to 1974, is not in line with WTO rules. Regarded by Moscow as an anachronism, the provision has long been a bone of contention in bilateral relations.
If Jackson-Vanik is not repealed, Russia would be in a position to deny U.S. exporters the market-opening concessions it made to join the global trade group.
President Barack Obama's administration backs repealing Jackson-Vanik, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat, plans to push forward a PNTR bill this month.
But House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, a Republican, has not made the same pledge, pointing to partisan frictions on trade with Russia ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. (Writing by Douglas Busvine; editing by Stephen Nisbet)
Bruce Springsteen hits back at London gig silencing - BBC News
Bruce Springsteen has poked fun at the organisers who cut short his London gig on Saturday.
Taking to the stage in Dublin, the star flipped a switch on a huge prop power generator and said: "Before we were so rudely interrupted..."
He then launched into the last minute of Twist And Shout, the Beatles' song cut short at his Hyde Park concert.
It was one of a number of digs the star made about his London show during the three-and-a-half hour concert.
At the Hard Rock Calling event in Hyde Park, Springsteen exceeded the time limit set by organisers, who pulled the plug on his set.
He had welcomed Sir Paul Mc Cartney on stage for renditions of the Beatles' I Saw Her Standing There and Twist and Shout, but their microphones were turned off before they could thank the crowd.
Maurice Savage, who was at the RDS, said Springsteen told fans there was no curfew in Ireland "to wild applause".
After opening with Twist And Shout, his second song of the night was a cover of The Clash's I Fought The Law.
Springsteen also held up a sign which read "Only the Boss says when to pull the plug" while wheeling on a huge on/off switch before playing Dancing in the Dark.
Towards the end of the show, a man dressed as a London police officer came on stage and tried to arrest the musician.
Chris Donaghue tweeted: "Played up the curfew thing all night. Great gig!!!"
"The Boss was awesome," posted Matt Cooper, adding, "Did he milk the Hyde Park debacle!"
Dublin City Council chiefs didn't escape the light-hearted digs. Springsteen and his band were fined an estimated 50,000 euros (£39,246) for breaching their curfew at two shows in July 2009.
"We're not sure when the curfew is tonight. Do you really have curfews in Ireland?" he said of the 11pm cut-off point agreed between promoters and Dublin City Council Planning.
In addition to I Fought the Law, other songs played at the show included The River, Dancing In The Dark and My Hometown, the latter dedicated to U2 singer Bono.
Despite all the jokes about curfews, Springsteen ended the gig before 23:00 - well within the rules.
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