United States

Yukos-Tankstelle in Moskau, hier in einer Aufnahme aus dem Juni 2004.

MOSKAU?Der russische Staat schuldet den ehemaligen Aktionären des zerschlagenen Ölriesen Yukos mehr als 50 Milliarden Dollar, umgerechnet rund 37 Milliarden Euro. Das entschied der Ständige Schiedsgerichtshof in Den Haag am Montag. Moskau habe den Bankrott von Yukos aus politischen Motiven vorangetrieben und die Aktionäre somit enteignet.

Der einst größte russische Ölkonzern wurde ab 2004 mit milliardenschweren Steuernachforderungen zerschlagen. Die wichtigsten Unternehmensteile wurden an Staatskonzerne verkauft.

Die russische Regierung beharrt darauf, dass es in dem Fall lediglich um Steuerhinterziehung ging. Viele Beobachter werteten die Zerschlagung von Yukos aber als Versuch des Kreml, den politisch ambitionierten Vorstandschef und Hauptaktionär Michail Chodorkowski kaltzustellen. Dieser musste wegen Betrugs und Steuervergehen mehr als zehn Jahre in Haft. Die Strafe wurde verbreitet als politisch motiviert kritisiert.

Geklagt hatten zwei Tochterfirmen von GML, einem in Gibraltar registrierten Investmentvehikel, das früher unter dem Namen Menatep firmierte. Chodorkowski und seine Kollegen hatten ihre Anteile über die Gesellschaft gehalten. Mitkläger war auch der Yukos-Pensionsfonds. Zusammen besaßen die Kläger einen Anteil über 60 Prozent an Yukos. Chodorkowski hatte vor Jahren erklärt, er habe seine Anteile an Yukos an seine Kollegen abgetreten, um einen Angriff auf die Firma abzuwehren. ?Wir könnten mit dem Ergebnis nicht glücklicher sein", sagt Tim Osborne, Leiter von GML.

Der russische Außenminister Sergej Lawrow kündigte an, gegen das Urteil Berufung einzulegen. ?Die Vertreter Russlands werden alle rechtlichen Mittel ausschöpfen, um unsere Rechte zu verteidigen"; sagte er.

Chodorkowski wurde im Dezember von Präsident Wladimir Putin begnadigt und freigelassen. Er und sein Geschäftspartner Platon Lebedew waren 2003 wegen Betrugs und Steuerhinterziehung verhaftet und 2005 verurteilt worden. Nachdem ihre Strafe abgelaufen war, gab es 2010 einen zweiten Prozess wegen Veruntreuung und Geldwäsche. Dadurch wurde ihre Haftstrafe bis Ende 2016 verlängert, in einer Berufung aber dann wieder verkürzt.

Die Verurteilung der beiden Männer gilt als Wendepunkt in der Putin-Ära. Es war der erste offene Versuch des Kreml, die Opposition zu knebeln und das Parlament enger zu kontrollieren. Chodorkowski hatte Teile seines Vermögens politischen Parteien zukommen lassen, die es dem Kreml schwer zu machen drohten, Gesetze durch das Parlament zu bringen. Chodorkowski und seine Anhänger sahen ihn lange als unschuldig an. Die Anschuldigungen gegen ihn seien Fälle von politischer Rache.

Kontakt zum Autor: [email protected]

Von einer Goldrally ist trotz eines 'guten' Umfeldes weit und breit nichts zu sehen.

Paranoia, Kriege, schlechte Wirtschaftsaussichten: Die Welt der Goldfans ist kein glücklicher Ort, aber sie passt ihnen manchmal doch ganz gut in den Kram. Das von ihnen verehrte Edelmetall hat sich 2014 nach einigen schwierigen Jahren wieder etwas erholt.

Der Goldpreis hat in diesem Jahr bisher um 8 Prozent zugelegt und damit etwas mehr als der S&P 500. Was ist der Grund dafür? Nun, eine offensichtliche Antwort ist die angespannte geopolitische Lage. Denn eine der wichtigsten Eigenschaften des Goldes ist letztlich der Schutz gegen das Chaos.

Aber während die Unruhen weltweit eine ?gute' und dramatische Story für eine Goldrally liefern, reicht es gerade mal für eine leichte Unterstützung.

Man ist versucht, vor allem wenn die Jahre vergehen, zu glauben, dass die Welt vor die Hunde geht und dass früher alles besser war. Aber in den vergangenen Jahren war diese Stimmung bis zu einem gewissen Grad durchaus angemessen. Maplecroft, ein globaler Berater für Risiken und Sicherheit, stellt einen Index auf, der die politischen Risiken in fast 200 Ländern misst. Zwischen 2010 und Anfang 2014 fiel der Anteil derjenigen mit geringen Risiken von fast 44 auf nur 19 Prozent.

Gleichzeitig ist der Anteil der Länder mit hohen oder extremen Risiken von unter 30 auf 36 Prozent gestiegen. Ein großer Teil der Länder entwickelte sich von geringem zu mittlerem Risiko. Gemessen daran scheint die Welt seit 2010 gefährlicher geworden zu sein. Aber während der Goldpreis in diesem Zeitraum ? 2011 ? ein Allzeithoch bei 1.900 Dollar je Feinunze erreicht hatte, hält er sich in diesem Jahr im Schnitt bei knapp 1.300 Dollar. Das ist nicht viel mehr als der Schnitt des Jahres 2010.

Ein wichtigerer Faktor für den Goldpreis war zumeist ein banalerer, auch wenn er in den Augen des Goldliebhabers noch immer schändlich ist: Inflation.

Wenn man den Goldchart der vergangenen fünf Jahre über die Entwicklung der US-Realzinsen legt, dann erkennt man eine Spiegelung beider Graphen. Realzinsen sind um die Inflation bereinigt und liegen seit Anfang 2011 im negativen Bereich. Wenn das passiert, werden die Kosten für den Besitz von Gold ? das keine Rendite abwirft ? weniger relevant und sein Wert als Absicherung gegen Inflation und mögliche Wechselkursverluste aufgrund der niedrigen Zinsen rückt in den Fokus.

Im vergangenen Sommer stieg der Realzins kurz an, als der Präsident der US-Notenbank, Ben Bernanke, den beginnenden Ausstieg aus dem Anleihekaufprogramm signalisierte. Das führte zu einer scharfen Korrektur beim Goldpreis.

Seitdem bewegt sich der Realzins in den USA um die Nulllinie, und die Debatte dreht sich vor allem darum, wie schnell die Fed die Leitzinsen wieder anziehen wird und ob die Inflation zurückkehrt oder nicht. Der größte Tagesgewinn beim Gold kam in diesem Jahr nicht, als Raketen flogen, sondern als die neue Fed-Präsidentin Janet Yellen im Juni bekräftigte, dass die Zinsen trotz positiver Konjunktursignale noch lange niedrig bleiben würden.

Das scheint tatsächlich ein Umfeld zu schaffen, von dem Goldliebhaber träumen: eine lockere Geldpolitik trotz sich bessernder Wirtschaftslage. Aber es ist weiterhin völlig unklar, ob der Inflationsdruck wirklich zunimmt. Und der mittelfristige Trend der Realzinsen zeigt weiter nach oben. Die Aussichten für das Gold sind also weiterhin eher trübe.

Kontakt zum Autor: [email protected]

NEW YORK (AP) ? Sarah Palin has started her own subscription-based online network.

The Sarah Palin Channel, which went live on Sunday, bills itself as a "direct connection" between the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate and her supporters, with "no need to please the powers-that-be," Palin says in a video mission statement on her channel's home page.

"Are you tired of the media filters?" she asks. "Well, I am. I always have been. So we're gonna do something about it."

"We'll talk about the issues that the mainstream media won't talk about," she adds.

Palin says she oversees all content posted to the channel. This will include her own political commentary. Other features for subscribers include the ability to submit questions to Palin and participate with her in online video chats.

Membership is set at $9.95 per month or $99.95 for a year.

Palin remains active elsewhere as a Fox News Channel contributor and reality-TV personality.

The Sarah Palin Channel is part of the TAPP video platform, which launched earlier this year.

???

Online:

https://sarahpalinchannel.com

Dear Amy: My mother raised 12 children ? eight girls and four boys. None of us asked her to baby-sit our children, as we felt her work was done. We would visit weekly and watch her enjoy interactions with our children.

I have four children. My daughter asked me to care for her 1-year-old two short days a week.

I said I would charge her $20 a day with a promise from the parents to deposit my "fee" directly into their child's college fund bank account ? from Gramma. My daughter was happy to agree to this.

My daughter-in-law has now asked me to watch her 2-month-old son on a specific day because she has to work. I told her, "Yes, but when you're making money, it isn't on my time, so I will charge you."

Before I could tell her my plans (same as my daughter's) she sent me an email expressing her disbelief that a Gramma would charge to watch her grandson.

She made a point of letting me know that her mom would never charge her to baby-sit.

I don't feel I'm out of line, as I think it's a good lesson in life: Don't expect people to take on your responsibility. It is different if there is an emergency or if you want to go out with your spouse or if I asked to take the child for the day (I would never dream of charging a fee for that). But I don't feel it's my responsibility to baby-sit your children while you are out making a living. Am I wrong? ? Gramma

Dear Gramma: Some parents cannot put food on the table without free child care provided by family members. I assume that your family members are not in this category.

Unfortunately, your daughter-in-law was too rude to hear out your scheme ? which I think is thoughtful and creative.

I suggest you respond to her very calmly: "I charge my own daughter for regular baby-sitting duties when she works on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The fee is $20 per day, which the parents deposit directly into the baby's bank account as a way to save for the future. This arrangement has worked well for us, and I would be very happy to do the same for you.

Of course I would never charge you to sit for the baby if you wanted to go out one night or if there were an emergency. This is only for when you're working.

I'm very happy your mother will provide free baby-sitting, and I can understand why you would rather have her do it than me. Let me know what you decide. I love little 'Benji' and look forward to spending time together."

Dear Amy: I am a 50-something devout Catholic who has been divorced for over 20 years.

Since my petition for annulment through the church was rejected, I am not in the position to remarry. Accordingly, I fully accept the church's teaching that permits sexual intimacy only within the marital bond.

Given these facts, I can only offer women platonic friendship, which I disclose early on whenever there is a mutual attraction.

Without fail, women become disinterested ? although they remain very friendly in future encounters.

Is there a reason why a woman would not be interested in having a healthy, nonsexual friendship with a man? ? Devout

Dear Devout: Speculating here, but a woman might not be interested in a relationship with you because she wants one or both things you must deny: sex and/or marriage.

Your best bet might be to connect on a Catholic matching site, such as Catholicmatch.com. Other devout single women who remain "married" but without partners because of the church's rules might be interested in a longer-term, chaste, platonic relationship.

Otherwise, do your best to develop all kinds of friendships with all kinds of people.

Dear Amy: Responding to the letter from "Grossed Out," whose boyfriend's hands and nails were filthy from farming ? I think she should take a positive approach to this and offer him a sensual hand washing, massage and nail grooming.

This makes her part of the solution. ? Faithful Reader

Dear Faithful: I love this idea. Thank you.

Send questions via e-mail to [email protected] or write to Ask Amy, Chicago Tribune, TT500, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.

Business travel spending in China hit $225 billion last year -- or 23% of the $1.1 trillion global total. That's second only to the U.S., where spending reached $274 billion, a report from the Global Business Travel Association said.

The pace of business travel growth in China is remarkable. Since 2000, spending has expanded by about 16% each year on average, compared to 1% in the U.S.

"Despite stronger growth, the U.S. continues to lose with China, which is poised to take over as the #1 business travel market in the world by 2016," the report said.

For decades, the Chinese economy experienced double-digit growth -- an expansion that has been reflected in the country's business travel industry.

As Beijing built the world's second-largest economy, it also developed extensive transportation infrastructure. China now boasts top-flight transportation options, including a high-speed rail network, that make it easier for both leisure and business travelers to get around.

Yet there are some signs that the blockbuster industry growth might start to slow. China's economy has entered a period of more moderate growth, and business travel spending will likely also take a hit.

The GBTA also expects spending restrictions that are part of government's anti-corruption campaign to weigh on the industry. The group predicts 13% annual growth over the next five years.

Related: Chinese tourists boost U.S. businesses

"Despite slowing growth, China remains in a league of its own in terms of market potential," the GBTA's report said.

One big reason for all that potential: Per capita business travel spending in China still under $200 -- far less than $800 U.S. average.

(CNN) -- A diaper-clad toddler crashed a Jeep Wrangler into a neighbor's house in Oregon -- then scampered home, sat on the couch and watched cartoons, authorities said.

The 3-year-old boy was under his mother's watch in Myrtle Creek when the incident happened last week, Police Officer Kevin Taggart said.

She was not paying attention to him and he found the keys, got inside the car and knocked it out of gear, according to Taggart.

A witness called 911 after seeing the child rolling by in the Jeep before hitting the house. Sensing he was in trouble, the toddler jumped out of the car and dashed home.

"An officer went to the boy's home -- and the boy was sitting on the couch watching cartoons like nothing ever happened," Taggart said.

Police cited the mother for failure to supervise the child following the incident Tuesday. The homeowner and the child's mother have made a civil arrangement on the repair to the house, authorities said.

"We want to encourage parents to remember that children are very crafty in finding ways to get in trouble and for parents to be very vigilant," Taggart said.

Before the accident, an officer saw the boy sitting in the car and warned a relative to keep an eye on him, authorities said.

At the time, when the officer knocked on door, a relative watching the child was sleeping.

ATLANTA (AP) ? Three people accused of scheming to manufacture and ship salmonella-tainted peanuts that killed nine people, sickened more than 700 and prompted one of the largest food recalls in history are set to go to trial this week in south Georgia.

A federal indictment unsealed in February 2013 brought charges against the head of Peanut Corp. of America and several others stemming from the outbreak tied to peanuts processed by the company. It was an unusual move by the federal government, which rarely prosecutes companies in food poisoning cases.

Federal investigators found filthy conditions at the company's Georgia plant and said the employees even fabricated certificates saying peanut product shipments were safe when tests said otherwise.

Company owner Stewart Parnell invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying before a congressional committee in February 2009. E-mails obtained by congressional investigators showed that he once directed employees to "turn them loose" after samples of peanuts tested positive for salmonella and then were cleared in another test.

Several months before the outbreak, when a final lab test found salmonella, Parnell expressed concern to Georgia plant manager Samuel Lightsey, writing in an Oct. 6, 2008, e-mail that the delay "is costing us huge $$$$$."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 714 people in 46 states were infected between September 2008 and March 2009. There were three deaths in Minnesota, two in Ohio, two in Virginia, one in Idaho and one in North Carolina.

The 76-count indictment charged Parnell and his food broker brother Michael Parnell with conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and the introduction of adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead. Stewart Parnell and Georgia plant quality assurance manager Mary Wilkerson were also charged with obstruction of justice.

The conspiracy and obstruction charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Lightsey pleaded guilty in May to seven counts. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Food and Drug Administration inspectors found bad conditions in the company's plant in Blakely, Ga., including mold, roaches and a leaky roof. Another plant in Plainview, Tex., was shuttered by that state's Department of Health Services in February 2009 after product samples tested positive for salmonella.

Jeff Almer's 72-year-old mother, Shirley, was among the nine people who died after eating tainted peanut butter. After successfully battling lung cancer and a brain tumor, she ate the bad peanut butter while being treated for dehydration in a Minnesota hospital.

Since his mother's death in December 2008, Almer has researched foodborne illnesses and pushed for stricter legislation on safeguards. He's also been one of the leading voices calling for prosecution against Peanut Corp. and said he plans to travel from the Twin Cities area to attend parts of the trial.

"I didn't know whether to celebrate or mourn," he said, recalling the moment he heard about the indictment. "It was a really tough situation because it reminded me about my mom's situation all over again, so the excitement was tempered."

Randy Napier's 80-year-old mother also died after eating contaminated peanut butter at an assisted living home in Ohio. He still harbors anger toward Stewart Parnell and hopes to see him punished.

"That was my mom, and for him to show not remorse, it's really hard," Napier said.

Napier and Almer hope the trial, which is expected to last weeks, sends a message to food manufacturers that there can be serious consequences for peddling contaminated food.

Criminal charges are rare in food outbreak cases because intent is often hard to prove and companies often step up and acknowledge their mistakes.

The indictment said Peanut Corp. misled customers about the existence of salmonella in its product, even after lab tests showed the bacteria was present. Prosecutors say employees fabricated certificates accompanying some of the peanut shipments saying they were safe.

The company later went bankrupt.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

To find the best sub-$30,000 speedsters, we put them through more rigorous tests than usual in our challenges and added days to the usual three-day comparison testing.

For the Cars.com/USA TODAY/MotorWeek $30,000 Cheap Speed Challenge, the testing included a day at Byron, Ill., Dragway to get 0-to-60-mph times, quarter-mile times and 60-to-0-mph braking distances and a day on the road-racing course at the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill., to test the field's sporting credibility.

The cars also got our usual tests, including a mileage drive of more than 220 miles of city streets, rural roads and highways to measure real-world fuel economy. Eight drivers rotated through the eight cars and drove normally (which was pretty briskly in this array of vehicles); windows were up, air conditioning on.

The experts then spent a day driving all eight entries back-to-back over the same route to judge ride, handling, acceleration and braking in the real world. And there was a day for the consumer judge to be briefed on and drive all the cars.

COMPACT CAR CHALLENGE: The best $20,000 compact out there

SUV CHALLENGE: Best crossover less than $40,000

The judges:

? Consumer judge: Joe Weiss, 38, a quality assurance manager from Chicago, who's in the market for just such a car.

? Cars.com: Joe Bruzek, road test editor; David Thomas, managing editor; Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor.

? USA TODAY: James R. Healey, auto writer.

? MotorWeek: Brian Robinson, producer.

We set a maximum price of $30,000, including destination charge. Automakers could provide their best configuration for the price cap. Ten cars fit the bill for type of vehicle, but only eight were evaluated.

Mini was out because it did not have a Cooper available to test that met the price cap. Honda's Civic Si lost a tire in a Chicago pothole and repairs could not be made in time for track days, so it was scratched.

The eight that finished the contest, alphabetically: Fiat 500 Abarth, Ford Fiesta ST, Hyundai Veloster Turbo, Kia Forte5 SX, Nissan Juke Nismo RS, Scion FR-S, Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The score is out of 1,000 possible points. Experts' evaluations were worth 50%; the consumer judge's, 10%; track performance, 30%; and the fuel economy rank was worth 10%.

The results:

1 --2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Points: 878 (out of 1,000)

Price as tested: $26,915

Drivetrain: 2.0-liter turbo four, 210 horsepower, front-drive, 6-speed dual-clutch automatic

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 6.76 seconds; 1/4 mile, 15.15 seconds / 60-0 114.2 feet (best)

Mileage test: 1st, 32.8 mpg (25/33/28)

What they liked: "Feels like it's in a whole other class," Robinson said. "It behaves more like a midsize performance sedan than a sporty compact." "Above average on the track ... and on city streets it was more fun to drive than any of the other cars," Thomas said.

Bruzek said, "It accelerates, brakes and handles with the best of the Cheap Speed cars, but with fantastic ride quality and real interior room," said Bruzek. Wiesenfelder found the brakes to be "supremely confidence-inspiring."

"Performance enthusiasts may love manuals, but the (dual-clutch automatic) in the GTI is the way to go," Thomas said. "Refinement is the GTI's watchword," Wiesenfelder said, "describing everything from its drivetrain and suspension to its interior quality and quiet cabin."

What they didn't: "A performance car this good deserves better steering feel," Wiesenfelder said. "The GTI multimedia ... remains at least a step behind in usefulness and user-friendliness," Healey said.

"This car is fast, but the Subaru blows everything away," said Weiss, our in-market shopper. "I'm not giggling like I did in the WRX." And "our model was missing basic items such as a backup camera and a USB port," Bruzek pointed out. "If you don't like plaid seats, you have a problem," Thomas said.

Bottom line: "Best performance bang for the buck, bar none; it's one of the most comfortable cars here," Robinson said. "This is the one I would buy right now."

2 -- 2015 Subaru WRX

Points: 807

Price as tested: $29,290

Drivetrain: 2.0-liter turbo four, 268 hp, all-wheel drive, 6-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 5.86 sec.; 1/4 mile, 14.46 sec. / 60-0 120.9 ft.

Mileage test: 7th, 29.7 mpg (21/28/24)

What they liked: This was the pick for consumer judge Weiss: "This car is really fast. Wow!"

"You really have to experience its neck-snapping off-the-line acceleration to appreciate it," Wiesenfelder said. "With its all-wheel drive, the WRX rockets out of corners," Bruzek said.

"It's easy to forget that the WRX is a functional everyday car with a usable back seat, large trunk and all-wheel drive," Wiesenfelder said.

What they didn't: "Interior materials are hard to swallow at nearly $30,000," Bruzek said. Healey dismissed the "Stone-Age multimedia controls and logic."

And Thomas noted that "the tester was the most expensive in the group with the worst gas mileage, and with no options on the sticker."

Brakes were a sore point. "Though they began our testing with good numbers, I don't recall them feeling exceptional even from the start," Wiesenfelder said, "Did we roast them? Possibly. But we exposed them to the same driving we did all the others."

Bottom line: "Perfect for the Midwest," Weiss said. "All that power and all-wheel drive."

3 -- 2014 Ford Fiesta ST

Points: 750

Price as tested: $25,610

Drivetrain: 1.6-liter turbo four, 197 hp, front drive, 6-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 7.61 seconds; 1/4 mile, 15.72 sec. / 60-0 127.2 ft.

Mileage test: 3rd, 31.2 mpg (26/35/29)

What they liked: Fiesta "provokes you into having a ton of fun. It's no impostor, as it showed in track tests," said Healey. "The clutch action and shifting were juuust right for this type of car," Thomas said. He added, "It has just enough practicality to it while still being quite small, a bonus for city dwellers."

Wiesenfelder said, "I was impressed with back-seat space for a car of this size." Robinson called the Recaro-brand seats "worth every penny."

What they didn't: But others disagreed. "Narrow Recaro seats don't provide much wiggle room ... and constantly force anything in your pockets out, such as cellphones, wallets and more. I'm a skinny guy and still found them too tight," said Bruzek.

There was consensus that the ride was harsh. "The test is full of firm-riding cars," Wiesenfelder said, "but this one took the cake." Bruzek said the styling "looks more comical than aggressive," and Thomas thought "the interior was cheap, with rough plastics. The tiny screen for MyFord Touch was pretty worthless."

Bottom line: "This car is so much fun," Robinson raved. "It's about time for us to get a real-deal ST model here in the States. I'm still not sure that most of America is ready for this car because of its ultra-stiff ride, but give it a chance; it is awesome!"

4 -- 2014 Kia Forte5 SX

Points: 748

Price as tested: $26,865

Drivetrain: 1.6-liter turbo four, 201 hp, front drive, 6-speed automatic

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 7.5 seconds; 1/4 mile, 15.81 sec. / 60-0 127.1 ft.

Mileage test: 8th, 29.5 mpg (EPA 21/29/24)

What they liked: "Hugely roomy, given the competition," Bruzek said. "Its suspension is surprisingly capable, and it looks the part of cheap speed with 18-inch wheels, dual-exiting exhaust and blackened exterior trim." Said Thomas, "Features-for-the-price is a Kia strong suit, and it sure shows here."

What they didn't: It fell short as a driving experience in this group. "No fun allowed," said Healey. " 'Thank goodness' was our first thought when the laps were done." Robinson dinged the "fair amount of roll in corners," while Wiesenfelder found that "on the track it just wasn't interested in downshifting when I wanted it to." Bruzek: "The SX's automatic transmission is good for a family car, not a performance one."

Bottom line: Said Wiesenfelder, "Truth be told, Kia doesn't make an equivalent to the STs, Abarths and NISMOs of this lot, but if ever (Kia) does, the Forte5 suggests it could field a strong competitor."

5 -- 2014 Scion FR-S

Points: 736

Price as tested: $28,642

Drivetrain: 2.0-liter non-turbo four, 200 hp, rear drive, 6-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 7.68 seconds; 1/4 mile, 15.84 sec. / 60-0 131.5 ft.

Mileage test: 2nd, 31.9 mpg (EPA 22/30/25)

What they liked: "Responsive handling that most in this group can only dream about. The balance is perfect and the whole car seems to rotate around you," Robinson said. "Great to have this car in the test to remind us that front-wheel drive is inherently inferior," Wiesenfelder said. In addition, he noted that "the engine has a nice, even power band" and "the gear ratios are spot-on."

What they didn't: "High RPM and droney exhaust note at highway speeds make you wish for another gear or two," Robinson said. Not enough go, said Wiesenfelder: "More horsepower and torque would raise this car to another level." Bruzek found it "way under-tired; sliding is fun for a while, but I want more grip." Several noted the very small back seat and "Spartan" interior.

Bottom line: "An affordable track star that you can drive right home," Thomas said.

6 -- 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Points: 732

Price as tested: $27,260

Drivetrain: 1.6-liter turbo four, 201 hp, front drive, 6-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 7.94 seconds; 1/4 mile, 16.06 sec. / 60-0 135.0 ft.

Mileage test: 5th, 30.5 mpg (EPA 24/33/28)

What they liked: "The shift lever's short height and short throws make it a delight," Wiesenfelder said. "The engine's power delivery is smooth and without much lag," Bruzek said, "though it never comes on fierce like the Fiesta ST."

Healey liked its "predictable track handling ? and road handling, too." Thomas found it "weirdly practical: The third door does make the back row more usable than a standard coupe. I've had my two little kids in it, and they did great, even in car seats."

Distinctiveness. "In a world of look-alike transportation, it's one car that truly stands out," Robinson noted. Value in features for the money.

What they didn't: "The Veloster loses composure when pushed hard," Bruzek said. "The best in the group hunker down and get around a corner without a fuss." "Steering remains numb and vague," said Wiesenfelder.

"Pushing it hard wasn't a great experience despite decent acceleration. On the track, there was no escaping how poorly it handled," said Thomas. For Robinson, "the looks 'overpromise' and 'underdelivered' performance."

Bottom line: Bruzek: "Perfectly fine as a street car ... with its turbo noises, fantastic manual shifter and signature funkiness. It's easily outshined once you start pushing the car with any serious performance driving."

7 -- 2014 Nissan Juke NISMO RS

Points: 684

Price as tested: $28,345

Drivetrain: 1.6-liter turbo four, 197 hp, front drive, 6-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 7.18 seconds; 1/4 mile, 15.5 sec. / 60-0 124.2 ft.

Mileage test: 4th, 31.2 mpg (EPA 25/31/27)

What they liked: "This subcompact SUV does not handle the track like anything else I've experienced," Thomas said. "The high seating position and dynamics of the car gave a new sense of exhilaration to my track runs." He also found that the Alcantara simulated-suede touches were "terrific, especially on the steering wheel."

"The engine makes good power for coming off corners, though the chassis doesn't always seem to know what to do with it," Robinson said. "To be a serious competitor among cars like this, a vehicle really does need an abundance of power," Wiesenfelder said. "NISMO has it." Steering is nearly as precise as the Scion FR-S," Bruzek said.

What they didn't: "There was torque steer strong enough to nearly yank the steering wheel out of my hands," Wiesenfelder said. "Torque steer during turbo lag? The worst of both worlds."

And then there were the seats. "Scaling the wall that is the bottom cushion's side bolster every time you get in and out could easily be a source of regret for an owner," Wiesenfelder said. Bruzek complained about the "choppy ride quality with little handling reward."

Bottom line: "For a crossover, it's a pretty poor execution, but for a performance car trapped inside a crossover body, this thing is pretty remarkable," Robinson said.

8 -- 2014 Fiat 500 Abarth

Points: 621

Price as tested: $25,995

Drivetrain: 1.4-liter turbo four, 160 hp, front drive, 5-speed manual

Acceleration/braking: 0-60 mph, 8.76 seconds; 1/4 mile, 16.57 sec. / 60-0 129.6 ft.

Mileage test: 6th, 30.3 mpg (EPA 28/34/30)

What they liked: "Impressive grip" on the track, Thomas said. "The steering feel is quite good," Wiesenfelder said. "Nimble and darty at high speeds."

Said Wiesenfelder: "Grippy Pirelli P Zero Nero tires proved the Abarth can handle a turn on a racetrack, defying the tipsy feeling experienced on the street. I was shocked to learn that replacements cost less than $100 apiece."

Healey and other judges liked the appearance of the Abarth edition. "It tries hard to project a high-performance image through its exhaust note" and appearance," said Healey. "Its engine/exhaust sound at start-up never gets old," said Robinson.

What they didn't: Others found the exhaust note "droned" or simply annoyed them over long stretches. Robinson found the Abarth to be "a real snoozer off the line," while Healey said it was both "too small to be useful and too expensive to be worth it."

Wiesenfelder noted, "There's no escaping the tipsy feeling you experience anytime you take a sharp corner in street driving." Weiss said, "The gearbox is horrible. It's like a stick in Jell-O." And Bruzek said the Abarth's "skittishness during emergency braking is less than ideal."

Bottom line: "An absolute joy on the road course," Bruzek said. "Off the track, however, it's oddly less confident in every regard: braking, acceleration and handling."

JERUSALEM ? Born with a congenital heart defect months before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began, it was clear Abdel Rahman Bakr of northern Gaza needed life-saving surgery in Israel.

But it was the global spotlight on the death of his brother and three cousins in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month that prompted Israel to allow the 3-month-old into the country after the Palestinian Authority pushed his case.

Four Palestinian boys ages 9 to 11, including Mohammed Ramez Bakr, 9, were killed while playing on a beach July 16 when an Israeli airstrike hit near the Al-Shati refugee camp in a coastal area in northern Gaza. Gruesome photos of their deaths on a beach spread around the world and became a flash point for outrage over civilian casualties in the fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.

"It's a cold-blooded massacre," the boys' uncle, Abdel Kareem Bakr, 41, said after the airstrike. "It's a shame they didn't identify them as kids with all of the advanced technology they claim they're using."

Israel's decision to allow baby Abdel, one of 11 children in his family, into the country for medical care underscores its sensitivity to international condemnation of the more than 1,030 Palestinians ? most of them civilians, and many of them children ? who have been killed since the conflict began July 8, according to the Associated Press.

At the Al-Makassed hospital in east Jerusalem, a constant stream of Palestinians brought clothes, toys and financial donations to the hospital room that Abdel and his aunt, Taghrid Bakr, share with a mother and her injured son. Doctors will decide by the end of the week whether Abdel will have open-heart surgery.

Abdel's entry into Israel, facilitated by the Palestinian District Coordination Office and the International Committee of the Red Cross, was approved just four days after his brother died, but his mother wasn't able to travel with him because she didn't have the right paperwork. So his aunt Taghrid took him, leaving behind nine of her own children, including a 13-year-old son who was injured in the chest during the airstrike that killed his cousins.

For Taghrid, a truce in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants that has caused her family such hardship wouldn't be enough.

"We don't want a cease-fire ? that's simply a return to what we have previously, we need the siege to be lifted and the economy to be revived," Taghrid Bakr said. "When the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation was signed we had hope, this has now been destroyed."

Funded by the Palestinian Authority ? with donations from the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia and donors from Europe, the U.S. and Gulf States ? Al-Makassed hospital has been treating patients from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for more than 40 years. It treats about 2,000 patients from Gaza a year for more severe ailments, such as rare diseases and those needing complex surgeries.

Since the conflict began, the facility has become a scene of chaos as Gaza residents and their families trickle in for treatment of injuries received while being caught in the middle of fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas militants. The hospital is currently treating 12 Gazans, and it's hard for many to travel there because of the war.

In one room, a 24-day-old baby with a slightly yellow complexion sleeps, his tiny frame contorting and his chest moving in an exaggerated way as he breathes. Nearby, a group of men sleep on mattresses on the floor in the crowded foyer, resting after Friday prayers and escaping the hot sun during the daytime Ramadan fasting period.

Down the hall, Abdel and his aunt share a room with Nehad Abu Marahil and her injured son Khaled, 6, who was found buried under the rubble of his uncle's house in Zeitoun in southern Gaza on July 18 after a rocket hit the home.

"I heard the bombardment and I went and saw that my sister-in-law was running," Nehad said, who was nearby in her own home at the time. "We had to clear the rubble from the house and we found him lying still like he was dead."

Khaled suffered internal bleeding on his brain after being hit by a piece of metal and was treated at Shifa hospital, where they managed to stop the bleeding. He was then transferred to Al-Makassed for additional care.

On Thursday, Khaled had just woken up from a coma ? his eyes gluey and his movement stifled. It was unclear if he was able to hear or see.

By Friday, he was able to flex his legs, and his eyes were opening wider with each passing hour. He gripped his mother's hand, craving touch as he absorbed his surroundings and the chaos of visitors.

Azhar, a distraught mother from Beit Hanoun who would only provide her first name in order to protect her family, arrived shortly after Khaled woke up.

Down the corridor her 5-year-old daughter, Ala, remains in intensive care after being hit directly by a missile while playing in the street outside Azhar's local butcher, who was giving meat away to neighbors before it spoiled since there was no electricity.

"We are regular people doing regular things," she said. "People were running out of their houses to find safety, taking what they could, some left without shoes."

Contributing: The Associated Press

© Bret Hartman / Reuters/REUTERS Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith says the curriculum for six NYPD employees coming for training will cover the use of force.

Don't expect NYPD cops to be more mellow after a visit to their counterparts on the West Coast.

The six NYPD employees headed to Los Angeles are going to get at least some training in the use of force, officials said.

“We’ve been in contact with Commissioner (Bill) Bratton and senior officers from the NYPD,” LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said. “Right now, we’re working on a curriculum that’s going over our basic academy training as well as our in-service training on lethal and less than lethal use of force.”

The Los Angeles training includes instruction on the “sleeper hold,” said LAPD Sgt. Art Tom, a tactics supervisor.

Marines.mil/Lance Cpl. Vanessa Jimenez/Marines.mil/Lance Cpl. Vanessa J Six NYPD employees will learn about use of force, including 'restraints,' while in Los Angeles.

“We don’t choke anyone, but we do use a carotid restraint control hold,” Tom explained. “If I was standing behind you, my right biceps would be along the right side of your neck. It squeezes your arteries, and that’s what we call a control hold. We cannot use it unless it’s a lethal force or deadly force situation.”

Bratton told the Daily News he’s sending the contingent of six cops to L.A. for lessons on the LAPD’s “state-of-the-art training.” He also said the NYPD might try some type of “lateral vascular neck restraints” that don’t block the airway.

The training comes after public outcry over the death of Eric Garner, who died on a Staten Island street after a cop took him down with an apparent chokehold. The maneuver was banned in L.A. in the 1980s, then in New York the following decade. 

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(CNN) -- A 16-year-old Japanese girl has been arrested in Sasebo, Nagasaki prefecture, on suspicion of murdering a fellow student. Police confirmed that the alleged attacker also dismembered her victim's body.

The girl, who cannot be named as she is a minor, is suspected of hitting Aiwa Matsuo, 15, with an object repeatedly before strangling her.

The victim's family said that she had gone to meet friends Saturday afternoon and alerted police when she did not return later that evening.

The teen admitted killing Matsuo, and told police she acted alone. The teen, who turned 16 the day of her arrest, admitted to dismembering the body, including decapitation and severing her left hand.

The English-language Japan Times reported that the alleged attacker's "friends and acquaintances" described her as "very smart, with emotional ups and downs."

It has been reported that her father remarried after the suspect's mother died last year and lives elsewhere in the southwestern Japanese city.

At a press conference, the principal of the school that both attacker and victim attended said that the institution was not aware of any trouble between the two.

"I have no words to say now. I am overwhelmed by sadness, regret and various feelings," he said.

Reports indicate that the body was discovered early Sunday morning on a bed at the girl's apartment, where she lives alone. Implements used in the attack were found on, and next to, the bed.

Despite Japan's deserved reputation for safety and a relative lack of violent crime in the country, it is not the first time that Sasebo has appeared in headlines featuring violence perpetrated by minors -- in 2004, an elementary school-aged girl in the city killed a classmate, slashing her throat.

Carl J. Sari/AP Bayern races down the back stretch to win Haskell by seven and a quarter lengths.

OCEANPORT, N.J. ? Seven proved the key number in Sunday’s Haskell.

Not because of the brilliant filly Untapable, who broke from post seven. Rather because of trainer Bob Baffert, as the white-haired wonder won the Monmouth Park race for a record seventh time, as Martin Garcia rode Bayern to a wire-to-wire romp, while Untapable weakened to fifth in the field of nine as the 7-5 favorite.

Sent off as the second choice at 9-2, Bayern went right for the lead under Garcia and never looked back, prevailing by seven and a quarter lengths, while Albano rallied to get up for second a length ahead of Wildcat Red.

“I knew this horse could get the mile and an eighth if we just let him run,” Baffert said by phone from California, where he watched the race. “He’s shown signs of brilliance and now it looks like he’s put it all together.”

Coming off a monster effort in the June 7 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park, which he won by 7½ lengths going seven furlongs, Bayern almost duplicated the feat in the $1 million Haskell.

“That was real impressive," said Garcia, who tied Craig Perret for most wins in the Haskell with his third. “Obviously, we were going to the lead, there was no Plan B. I wasn’t surprised at how well he ran. He was cruising out there the whole way. He was able to set the fractions on his terms and when we turned for home he took off.”

Untapable never seriously threatened, finishing in the fifth spot fifth after bumping with Social Inclusion at the start.

Bayern returned $11.20 to win before a crowd of 35,093, running the mile and one-eighth in 1:47.82.

Howard Simmons/New York Daily News Robert Ayers sports Justin Tuck's old No. 91, but he doesn't view it that way. 

There was an irreverence in Robert Ayers’ voice, maybe even a little hint of annoyance, when he was asked about the Giants’ old No. 91.

The new No. 91 knows all about the man he’s replacing, Justin Tuck. He knows how Tuck was Big Blue’s longtime defensive captain, a warrior pass-rusher on the field and a fixture in the community off it. And he knows how Tuck willed 11 sacks from a battered body last season, how Tuck was revered by so many Giants fans for a decade.

But the new No. 91 doesn’t care one bit.

“No. Why should I?” Ayers said Sunday. “Like Coach (Tom Coughlin) said, the faces change, but the expectations don’t. It’s an honor to come in and play after guys like Justin Tuck and (Michael) Strahan, etc. But the fact that I have his (Tuck’s) number or he just left and I just got here, it doesn’t really mean anything to me.

“It’s my number,” he added of the No. 91. “Not Tuck’s number. It’s been my number since college (at Tennessee.)”

So Ayers refuses to worry about the pressure of replacing Tuck, who is now with the Raiders. The free-agent pickup from the Denver Broncos knows the comparisons will come, especially since the Giants handed him Tuck’s (no, his) number just hours after signing him in April.

But Ayers, who grew up in Jersey City and went to school in Hoboken, believes he’s fully capable of replacing Tuck (and carving his own legend) on the Giants defensive line. He is almost certain to play behind Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka, but on a team that rotates linemen heavily, he could wind up assuming Tuck’s role.

For years, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell shifted Tuck into different spots, playing him at end, tackle and even linebacker to confuse offenses. Ayers, who played tackle, end and linebacker during his six years in Denver, believes he could be used similarly.

Eric Risberg/AP Ayers is ready to help Giants fans move on from Justin Tuck, who is now with the Oakland Raiders.

The Giants see a talented pass-rusher, a player who still has untapped upside at age 28. Ayers made 5.5 sacks in limited action last season, and the former first-round pick has long been a favorite of defensive line coach Robert Nunn.

“I liked him coming out when he was at Tennessee,” said Nunn, recalling the 2009 draft, when he was still a Buccaneers assistant. “I’m excited about where he is. He’s a tough kid.”

Ayers has dropped several pounds since OTAs, and he’s shown “more suddenness, a little bit more quick twitch,” in training camp, Nunn said. The big defensive end is intent on proving himself, and he’s quickly fallen in line with a team that’s searching for redemption after going 7-9 last year. He even barely thinks of last season, when his Broncos advanced all the way to the Super Bowl, only to fall to the Seahawks.

“The Broncos, they can talk about that,” he said. "They can talk about revenge and redemption and all that stuff. I’m not a Bronco; I’m a New York Giant. We were 7-9 last year. I’m taking that on my back. I was 7-9 last year.

“My memory of last year doesn’t really affect how I feel this season.”

To Ayers, last season is in the past ? just like Justin Tuck.

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Chris Trotman/Getty Images Jeff Gordon wins the Brickyard 400, eight days before his 43rd birthday.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? With a tinge of gray hair at his temples, his hat on backward and his two young children by his side, Jeff Gordon celebrated as if he was 23 years old again.

Gordon won a NASCAR-record fifth Brickyard 400 on Sunday, eight days before his 43rd birthday and on the weekend Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first Brickyard victory.

Gordon’s first win came before the celebratory kissing of the Yard of Bricks was en vogue, before he became a household name, while Sprint Cup Series rookies Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon were still in diapers. Now a family man with an aching back, Gordon used Sunday to show he’s still at the top of his game.

“If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere,” said Gordon, who has led the Sprint Cup Series standings for 13 of the last 14 weeks. “It’s certainly going to be a huge confidence boost for this team. We recognize the significance of this.

“We saw we were points leaders, we won at Kansas, but I don’t know if we believed we were capable of winning this championship this year. We do now.”

To prove it to himself, to his Hendrick Motorsports team and to his ardent fan base, Gordon needed a vintage close to Sunday’s race.

Hendrick teammate Kasey Kahne led a race-high 70 laps and seemed only to be racing against his gas tank when a late caution put the race back into Gordon’s hands. He’d have one shot at passing Kahne, on a dreaded restart, and nobody was sure if ol’ “Four-Time” had it in him.

Restarts are his Achilles heel, and he’s struggled with them for several years. And Kahne, who is winless on the season, desperately needed the victory to grab a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field.

“The restart is going to be the race, really,” Gordon’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, conceded in a television interview moments before the field went green with 17 laps remaining.

Kahne picked the lower, inside lane for the restart, and Gordon found himself on the outside and exactly where he wanted to be. Gordon tried to set a quick pace as they headed to the flag, and Kahne tried to slow it down in the restart zone.

Gordon shifted into fourth gear and surged past Kahne on the outside, and Gordon kicked it into cruise control as he sailed away for the win.

“I think we both knew that was for the win,” Gordon said of Kahne. “Out of nowhere, I have the restart of my life at the most important moment that you could ask for in a race, in a season, at a race like this. That was just awesome.”

The win came on the 20th anniversary celebration of Gordon’s win in the inaugural Brickyard 400, and on “Jeff Gordon Day” as declared by the Mayor of Indianapolis. The win moved Gordon into a tie with Michael Schumacher, whose five Formula One victories at Indy had been the gold standard.

“I told him this morning that this was his day,” said team owner Rick Hendrick.

Kahne plummeted to fifth after the restart, then ran out of gas on the final lap and had to nurse his car home to a sixth-place finish. He said he erred in picking the inside line for the restart.

Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images Jeff Gordon celebrates in Victory Lane.

“I should have chosen the top (lane), obviously,” he said. “I pretty much let Jeff control that last restart. I thought I made the right decision.”

Hendrick said he had no favorite in that situation, and hoped only that Gordon and Kahne did not wreck each other.

“I know Kasey, he needed a win, and he ran awful good today,” Hendrick said. “But Jeff had the dominant car, so it all worked out.”

Kyle Busch finished second, 2.325 seconds behind Gordon, and was followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. After the race, NASCAR said Hamlin’s car had failed post-race inspection and the parts in question would be taken to North Carolina for another look.

Joey Logano was fifth in the highest-finishing car from Team Penske, which brought Juan Pablo Montoya to the race in an effort to get the win. Roger Penske has won a record 15 Indianapolis 500s, but is winless in the Brickyard. Montoya was never a factor and finished 23rd.

Larson, who grew up a Gordon fan, finished seventh and likened Gordon’s win on Sunday to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s season-opening win in the Daytona 500.

“To see Jeff Gordon win is pretty special ? it’s kind of like Junior winning the 500 this year,” Larson said.

Kevin Harvick, the polesitter and the driver with the car most everyone thought would be tough to beat, was eighth and followed by Earnhardt and rookie Austin Dillon.

Carl Edwards finished 15th hours after Roush-Fenway Racing finally confirmed he was leaving the team at the end of the season.

In addition to his 1994 victory, Gordon also won at the track in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

He has 90 Cup wins, third on the career list.

He said it took extreme focus over the final 10 laps not to prematurely celebrate and cough away the win. It meant tuning out the crowd, which was on its feet and cheering him to the finish.

“I was trying not to let it get to me and not think about it too much,” he said. “And yet you can’t help it. It’s such a big place and such an important victory and a crucial moment in the season and the championship, and those emotions take over.

“This one is for all those fans throughout the years and all weekend long ? they’re saying ‘We believe you can get (championship) number five.’ We got (Brickyard) No. 5!”