North Sudan Takes Contested Town on South Border

NAIROBI – The northern Sudanese army has seized a strategic town along Sudan’s contested north-south border in a serious military escalation that has the potential of igniting an all-out civil war, Western officials said on Sunday.

A column of northern Sudanese tanks rolled into Abyei, a flashpoint border town on Saturday, after weeks of hit-and-run clashes between northern and southern forces.

The southern part of Sudan is gearing up to declare independence in July and both northern and southern Sudan claim Abyei, making it one of the most combustible issues between the two sides. The Abyei area produces a small amount of oil but more than that, it has become a potent, emotional symbol for both northern and southern Sudanese. It has been called Sudan’s Jerusalem because of the difficulties of resolving its status.

“The SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) have taken this evening the control of Abyei town and repelled the enemy forces, ” declared a Sudanese state television news bulletin on Saturday night. According to United Nations officials inside Abyei, there were at least a dozen northern tanks now prowling the town. But the United Nations monitoring team in Abyei was hampered from making more detailed observations because several mortar shells landed near the United Nations compound, and United Nations personnel were reluctant to venture into Abyei’s streets.

The southern Sudanese forces, who have tens of thousands of heavily-armed soldiers – some of them trained by the United States, have not indicated yet how they will respond. On Saturday night, Philip Aguer, a spokesman for southern Sudan’s military forces, told AFP, “The SAF have entered Abyei, there is still fighting but they have come with tanks, they are shooting and shooting. ”

“Our police have been fighting but the SAF have sent many soldiers in, ” he added, speaking by phone from Juba, the capital of southern Sudan.

The crisis comes right as a delegation from the United Nations Security Council is in Sudan, visiting both sides in preparation for the division of Sudan this summer.

Abyei has been a sore spot for years, a clear potential spoiler in the separation of north and south Sudan. It has a hybrid history, a dusty, arid patch of Sudan that is culturally and ethnically linked to the south and populated by mostly Southerners but incorporated administratively as part of the north for decades. Northern nomads cross through Abyei to bring their herds to watering holes and the area has been like a mosaic of cultures between north and south Sudan.

Abyei was supposed to have its own referendum to decide whether it would join the north or the south but that got shelved because of heated arguments over who was eligible to vote. Meanwhile, southern Sudan held a referendum in January in which more than 95 percent of Southerners voted for independence.

While its status is unresolved, Abyei has been administered by a joint north-south committee and the only soldiers in the area are supposed to units made up of Northerners and Southerners. But in the past few months, human rights groups have seen a sharp build-up by both sides around the contested border.

Over the past few weeks, northern and southern forces have been attacking each other in rural areas around Abyei town. On Thursday, southern forces ambushed a convoy of northern troops, killing more than dozen northern soldiers. Southern forces had staged a similar attack in early May.

One Western official on Sunday said that the southern forces had indeed provoked the north and that it was unlikely that northern forces would now withdraw from Abyei.

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Azerbaijan takes Eurovision crown

 14 May 2011 Last updated at 19:25 ET Next year's contest will be held in the winner's capital city of Baku

Azerbaijan has been crowned the winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Germany, while the UK came 11th.

Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal of Ell/Nikki were voted Europe's favourites, after scoring 221 points with their love song, Running Scared.

Newly reformed band Blue notched up 100 points, whilst Ireland's entry, X Factor twins Jedward, finished eighth.

Italy's Raphael Gualazzi took second place, followed by Eric Saade from Sweden.

'Happiest man'

It is the first time that Azerbaijan has won the contest in its 56-year history, having only joined Eurovision in 2008.

Although Jamal was born in Azerbaijan, she currently lives in north London with her husband and two daughters.

On receiving the trophy, Gasimov said he was the "the happiest man in the world".

It was another disappointing year for the UK, which has not won the competition since 1997, when Katrina and the Waves triumphed with Love Shine a Light.

However, Blue managed to notch up a respectable score compared with last year's entry, who came last with only 10 points.

At one stage Blue were top of the leaderboard

At one early stage during the voting process Bulgaria and Italy both awarded the UK high scores, making it briefly top of the results table.

Host Graham Norton joked: "Quick, someone take a picture."

Last year's winner Lena Mayer-Landrut, who represented Germany again, beat the UK by seven points to finish 10th.

Viewers at home in all 43 competing nations voted for their favourite song by phone or text message, which accounted for half of each country's vote.

The other 50% was determined by five-member expert juries in each participating country.

Two rounds of semi-finals held earlier in the week whittled the competitors down to 25 finalists.

The event, which was hosted by Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab, attracted 35,000 to the Fortuna Düsseldorf Arena.

New President Takes Power in Struggling Haiti

 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Charismatic pop star-turned-president Michel Martelly took over Haiti on Saturday, promising to rebuild its earthquake-devastated capital, develop the long-neglected countryside and build a modern army.

The 50-year-old performer known to Haitians as "Sweet Micky" was swept to power in a March 20 presidential runoff by Haitians tired of past leaders who failed to provide even basic services, such as decent roads, water and electricity in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

Martelly was sworn in during a power outage in front of dozens of dignitaries including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the U.N.'s special envoy to Haiti, and Edmond Mulet, head of the U.N. mission that has maintained order in Haiti since 2004. Also present was Desi Bouterse, the president of Suriname who is on trial for the 1982 executions of 15 political opponents.

Former Haiti President Rene Preval took off the presidential sash and put it on Martelly as they shook hands and embraced, but did not say anything to each other. Martelly's wife, Sophia, then came on stage and adjusted the sash as their four children joined them.

Martelly did not speak as he left Parliament for the National Palace, where was to deliver a speech.

Outside the gated Parliament, more than 1,000 Martelly supporters gathered.

"Today is a party for us, for the masses, because the country is destroyed," said Esaue Rene, a 28-year-old mechanic who has high hopes for Martelly. "I would like him to bring jobs so that people aren't sitting around in public plazas because they don't have anything else to do."

Martelly appealed to young voters like Rene because he is the antithesis of Preval, who is seen as aloof and uninspiring. Martelly is effusive and charming. He once joked that he'd dance naked atop the National Palace if he were elected president.

But the challenges Martelly faces in fulfilling his ambitious promises were clear Saturday. He was sworn in front of the country's collapsed National Palace and a shantytown filled with thousands of people displaced by last year's magnitude-7.0 earthquake that killed an estimated 230,000 people.

During his campaign, he promised to build houses in the capital; bring economic development to the countryside; provide universal education for children; develop agriculture; and replace the discredited armed forces with a modern army capable of responding to natural disasters. The previous discredited army was disbanded by ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1995.

Political observers say speeding up the multibillion-dollar reconstruction effort is paramount. That means Martelly's administration must make progress building houses for the more than 600,000 people still living in settlements; stem a cholera epidemic that threatens to spread during the rainy and hurricane seasons; and strengthen the judiciary. And a parliament controlled by political opponents from Preval's party could make passing bills difficult.

He must he do all this quickly.

"His administration will have to show progress fairly quickly in order to provide confidence to the population," said Mark Schneider, senior vice president of the International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C.

Martelly will lead a country still divided over the presidential election itself. He was initially excluded from the runoff in favor of a candidate backed by Preval, only to be restored after the international community challenged the results.

One sign of the division: Martelly's opponents have recently alleged that he holds dual Haitian-U.S. citizenship, which would disqualify him for the presidency. He denies the allegation.

In what some view as a reconciliation effort, Martelly has invited to the inauguration both Aristide and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the former dictator who made a surprise return to Haiti in January. Neither of them attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Since Duvalier came back, the ex-despot has been charged with embezzlement and human rights abuses, and advocacy groups have criticized Martelly for inviting him.

"Martelly's facing the need to knit together a polarized country," Schneider said. "Haiti just went through an election which was riven by discord, disagreement, and unhappiness. And given the makeup of the parliament, he has the major task of forging a national government."

In the weeks since Haitian authorities declared him the winner, Martelly has toured the countryside to learn more about reconstruction projects, announced ways to finance free education, and formed a transition team, led by Duvalier's former social affairs minister, Daniel Supplice.

Martelly was well-known as an entertainer. But what kind of leader he makes, many in Haiti aren't sure.

"He's unpredictable," said Patrick Elie, a defense minister under Aristide and an adviser to Preval. "He's got teeth that can both smile and bite. He's shown that."

 

Mexico Takes Aim at a Titan in Telecom

But over the last few weeks, a series of developments is threatening to chip away at Mr. Slim’s dominance.

First, Mexico’s antitrust agency imposed a $1 billion fine on the wireless company Telcel, the local unit of Mr. Slim’s pan-Latin company América Móvil. Then, at the end of last month, the Mexican congress approved a tough new antimonopoly law that raises fines for monopolistic practices and permits prison terms for executives who have been found to engage in them.

Last week, a Supreme Court ruling halted a legal maneuver that Mr. Slim’s companies had used to fight lower tariffs. The decision gives new heft to the country’s telecom regulator as it begins to slash the high interconnection fees that América Móvil charges other companies.

The flurry of activity after years of inaction suggests that at last Mexican authorities may be willing to challenge Mr. Slim and make good on their pledge to provide a more competitive environment for the telecommunications industry.

The actions also send a signal to other large companies in Mexico that they too may soon come under closer scrutiny. For years, powerful companies have resisted regulation by tying up rulings in the courts and using their political influence.

It is too early to tell, though, how effective the efforts will be and whether they will stick.

América Móvil’s Mexican units, the mobile carrier Telcel and the fixed-line firm Telmex, will continue their legal challenges, and analysts say the fine may not be paid for years, if ever. Meanwhile, Telmex now claims more than 80 percent of all fixed lines and Telcel more than 70 percent of wireless phones.

Despite the new antitrust law, Mexican lawmakers and regulators have stalled on other measures to haul telecommunications rules into the 21st century.

And as the July 2012 general election approaches, political support for tougher regulation against Mr. Slim — widely reported to be the world’s wealthiest man — and other magnates may wane as parties jockey for support from the business elite. (Mr. Slim is the second-largest shareholder in The New York Times, behind the Sulzberger family, and in 2009 extended a $250 million loan to The Times, which the company says it intends to repay in early 2012.)

“The big companies believe that when the law is applied to them it’s because of personal animosity and that the law only applies to their enemies,” said Eduardo Pérez Motta, the president of the Federal Competition Commission, which imposed the billion-dollar fine. “They think it is a country of favors, friendships and privileges.”

Executives at Mr. Slim’s companies argue that they benefit the Mexican people by reaching the country’s poorer communities, while their competitors want to sell only to the rich. Indeed, in almost half of the country, Telmex is the only company with any infrastructure at all, because its concession requires it to be there.

In public appearances, Mr. Slim responds to questions about monopoly power by arguing that he has taken on powerful international competitors such as AT&T and that there are multiple players in the Mexican market. He often hands out charts showing how Mexico compares favorably to many other developing countries in mobile coverage, and argues that international studies showing that Mexico’s prices are high are skewed by exchange rates. He also says that he faces a barrier because regulators refuse to grant him a pay-TV license, while cable companies now compete with him by offering phone and Internet service.

Business competition is viewed as an important issue for Mexico’s economic future. Studies from the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that Mexico’s monopolies stunt its growth. Although the economy expanded an estimated 5 percent in the first quarter, that pace still lags other large Latin American economies.

Big companies control many basic goods and services, including cement, beer, corn flour, and medicine distribution. The resulting high prices, Mr. Pérez Motta argues, harden Mexico’s gap between rich and poor because it forces poor families to spend more of their income on staples.

It is the fight over telecommunications, though, that has grabbed the recent attention.

 

Mexico Takes Aim at a Titan in Telecom

But over the last few weeks, a series of developments is threatening to chip away at Mr. Slim’s dominance.

First, Mexico’s antitrust agency imposed a $1 billion fine on the wireless company Telcel, the local unit of Mr. Slim’s pan-Latin company América Móvil. Then, at the end of last month, the Mexican congress approved a tough new antimonopoly law that raises fines for monopolistic practices and permits prison terms for executives who have been found to engage in them.

Last week, a Supreme Court ruling halted a legal maneuver that Mr. Slim’s companies had used to fight lower tariffs. The decision gives new heft to the country’s telecom regulator as it begins to slash the high interconnection fees that América Móvil charges other companies.

The flurry of activity after years of inaction suggests that at last Mexican authorities may be willing to challenge Mr. Slim and make good on their pledge to provide a more competitive environment for the telecommunications industry.

The actions also send a signal to other large companies in Mexico that they too may soon come under closer scrutiny. For years, powerful companies have resisted regulation by tying up rulings in the courts and using their political influence.

It is too early to tell, though, how effective the efforts will be and whether they will stick.

América Móvil’s Mexican units, the mobile carrier Telcel and the fixed-line firm Telmex, will continue their legal challenges, and analysts say the fine may not be paid for years, if ever. Meanwhile, Telmex now claims more than 80 percent of all fixed lines and Telcel more than 70 percent of wireless phones.

Despite the new antitrust law, Mexican lawmakers and regulators have stalled on other measures to haul telecommunications rules into the 21st century.

And as the July 2012 general election approaches, political support for tougher regulation against Mr. Slim — widely reported to be the world’s wealthiest man — and other magnates may wane as parties jockey for support from the business elite. (Mr. Slim is the second-largest shareholder in The New York Times, behind the Sulzberger family, and in 2009 extended a $250 million loan to The Times, which the company says it intends to repay in early 2012.)

“The big companies believe that when the law is applied to them it’s because of personal animosity and that the law only applies to their enemies,” said Eduardo Pérez Motta, the president of the Federal Competition Commission, which imposed the billion-dollar fine. “They think it is a country of favors, friendships and privileges.”

Executives at Mr. Slim’s companies argue that they benefit the Mexican people by reaching the country’s poorer communities, while their competitors want to sell only to the rich. Indeed, in almost half of the country, Telmex is the only company with any infrastructure at all, because its concession requires it to be there.

In public appearances, Mr. Slim responds to questions about monopoly power by arguing that he has taken on powerful international competitors such as AT&T and that there are multiple players in the Mexican market. He often hands out charts showing how Mexico compares favorably to many other developing countries in mobile coverage, and argues that international studies showing that Mexico’s prices are high are skewed by exchange rates. He also says that he faces a barrier because regulators refuse to grant him a pay-TV license, while cable companies now compete with him by offering phone and Internet service.

Business competition is viewed as an important issue for Mexico’s economic future. Studies from the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that Mexico’s monopolies stunt its growth. Although the economy expanded an estimated 5 percent in the first quarter, that pace still lags other large Latin American economies.

Big companies control many basic goods and services, including cement, beer, corn flour, and medicine distribution. The resulting high prices, Mr. Pérez Motta argues, harden Mexico’s gap between rich and poor because it forces poor families to spend more of their income on staples.

It is the fight over telecommunications, though, that has grabbed the recent attention.

 

Mexico Takes Aim at a Titan in Telecom

But over the last few weeks, a series of developments is threatening to chip away at Mr. Slim’s dominance.

First, Mexico’s antitrust agency imposed a $1 billion fine on the wireless company Telcel, the local unit of Mr. Slim’s pan-Latin company América Móvil. Then, at the end of last month, the Mexican congress approved a tough new antimonopoly law that raises fines for monopolistic practices and permits prison terms for executives who have been found to engage in them.

Last week, a Supreme Court ruling halted a legal maneuver that Mr. Slim’s companies had used to fight lower tariffs. The decision gives new heft to the country’s telecom regulator as it begins to slash the high interconnection fees that América Móvil charges other companies.

The flurry of activity after years of inaction suggests that at last Mexican authorities may be willing to challenge Mr. Slim and make good on their pledge to provide a more competitive environment for the telecommunications industry.

The actions also send a signal to other large companies in Mexico that they too may soon come under closer scrutiny. For years, powerful companies have resisted regulation by tying up rulings in the courts and using their political influence.

It is too early to tell, though, how effective the efforts will be and whether they will stick.

América Móvil’s Mexican units, the mobile carrier Telcel and the fixed-line firm Telmex, will continue their legal challenges, and analysts say the fine may not be paid for years, if ever. Meanwhile, Telmex now claims more than 80 percent of all fixed lines and Telcel more than 70 percent of wireless phones.

Despite the new antitrust law, Mexican lawmakers and regulators have stalled on other measures to haul telecommunications rules into the 21st century.

And as the July 2012 general election approaches, political support for tougher regulation against Mr. Slim — widely reported to be the world’s wealthiest man — and other magnates may wane as parties jockey for support from the business elite. (Mr. Slim is the second-largest shareholder in The New York Times, behind the Sulzberger family, and in 2009 extended a $250 million loan to The Times, which the company says it intends to repay in early 2012.)

“The big companies believe that when the law is applied to them it’s because of personal animosity and that the law only applies to their enemies,” said Eduardo Pérez Motta, the president of the Federal Competition Commission, which imposed the billion-dollar fine. “They think it is a country of favors, friendships and privileges.”

Executives at Mr. Slim’s companies argue that they benefit the Mexican people by reaching the country’s poorer communities, while their competitors want to sell only to the rich. Indeed, in almost half of the country, Telmex is the only company with any infrastructure at all, because its concession requires it to be there.

In public appearances, Mr. Slim responds to questions about monopoly power by arguing that he has taken on powerful international competitors such as AT&T and that there are multiple players in the Mexican market. He often hands out charts showing how Mexico compares favorably to many other developing countries in mobile coverage, and argues that international studies showing that Mexico’s prices are high are skewed by exchange rates. He also says that he faces a barrier because regulators refuse to grant him a pay-TV license, while cable companies now compete with him by offering phone and Internet service.

Business competition is viewed as an important issue for Mexico’s economic future. Studies from the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that Mexico’s monopolies stunt its growth. Although the economy expanded an estimated 5 percent in the first quarter, that pace still lags other large Latin American economies.

Big companies control many basic goods and services, including cement, beer, corn flour, and medicine distribution. The resulting high prices, Mr. Pérez Motta argues, harden Mexico’s gap between rich and poor because it forces poor families to spend more of their income on staples.

It is the fight over telecommunications, though, that has grabbed the recent attention.

 

Google Takes to TV to Promote Browser

The company is taking the battle to mainstream America with an ad campaign using the old-fashioned medium of prime-time TV to talk about the Web. The 90-second ads, which began Tuesday night, show off Chrome, which it introduced in 2008. “As people look for more cool and more interesting things on the Web, our business grows,” said Andy Berndt, vice president of the Google Creative Lab, which created the campaign with the ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

While Google captures two-thirds of online searches, Microsoft, whose Bing service has only 14 percent of searches, has its browsers on far more computers.

About 45 percent of computers use one of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browsers, according to StatCounter, a Web analytics firm, while Chrome has only about 18 percent of the market. Internet Explorer’s share, however, is down from 53 percent a year ago, while Chrome’s share has climbed from 8 percent. Last year, the number of Chrome users tripled to 120 million, from 40 million, Google said. Firefox, a browser produced by Mozilla, has 30 percent of the market while Safari, Apple’s browser, has only 5 percent.

The Google ad campaign, called “the Web is what you make of it,” is the biggest offline campaign ever for Google, which has typically shied away from advertising. It declined to disclose its spending plan.

Google says it cares so much about promoting Chrome because the more people use the Web, the more they use Google. For example, when Chrome users enter search queries in the big box at the top of the browser, which Google calls the omnibox, they go directly to Google search results.

“Instead of looking for Google and looking for search, the omnibox gives them immediate access to Google search,” Patrick Pichette, Google’s chief financial officer, said in a conference call with analysts last month.

“On a tactical basis, everybody that uses Chrome is a guaranteed locked-in user for us in terms of having access to Google,” he said during that call.

Google later said that Mr. Pichette misspoke and that Chrome users were not “locked in” because they could easily visit other search engines or change the default search engine.

As mobile Internet use heats up, a new round of battles among browser and search companies is heating up, too. Apple iPhones come with a Safari browser and a Google search box, and Microsoft could poach Google users with its search partnership with Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry, announced Tuesday.

“The Chrome browser does have this tie-in to Google,” said Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land and an industry analyst. “If you’re installing it, there’s a much greater chance that you’re going to end up using Google and staying with Google.”

But, as Google amusingly discovered when it toured Times Square with a video camera to ask people what a browser is, many people don’t know the name of their browser or that they can download a different browser than the one preloaded on their PC.

“The browser’s probably the most important piece of software on anyone’s computer, but a lot of people, the people we’re targeting with these TV spots, don’t know what a browser is,” said Robert Wong, creative director of the Google Creative Lab.

Another challenge: Google developed Chrome because it didn’t think the existing browsers were good enough for its products. But in many ways, rival browsers have since caught up.

“Microsoft does adequately well for the vast majority of consumers,” said David B. Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School who has written books about competition among Internet businesses.

“The problem for both Firefox and Chrome is how are they going to convince customers that they have a significantly better product, worth the hassle of actually going and downloading something that’s new and different.”

Google’s solution is to tug at people’s heartstrings with emotional ads about what they can do with Chrome. It is appealing to Internet users who don’t care about the technical benefits of Chrome like rendering speed or apps and extensions.

One of the TV ads, “Dear Sophie,” shows a father creating a scrapbook in Gmail by sending his daughter notes, photos and videos as she grows up. As he records ballet classes and birthdays, he drags photos from Picasa into Gmail and shows their first home on Google Maps. Like all the ads, it is a true story, Google said, though it used actors and changed the names.

Another, “It Gets Better,” shows people using Chrome’s toolbar and YouTube to record videos for the It Gets Better Project to help gay teenagers who fear bullying.

The ads zero in on the computer screen, showing what people are typing and uploading, similar to the “Parisian Love” ad that aired during the Super Bowl in 2010, which told the story of an American exchange student who falls in love with a woman in Paris.

“We try to get rid of everything but the user and the tools and let you feel what is happening there, without a lot of commentary from Google itself,” Mr. Berndt said.

The new TV campaign, which ran Tuesday during “One Tree Hill” and “Glee” and which Google plans to continue with new ads, makes a subtle reference to Chrome. Google more blatantly states its mission in the accompanying online ads.

They will appear on various Web sites as white boxes cycling through phrases like “make a blog,” “make an observation,” “make a declaration” and “make yourself heard.” At the end of each ad appears a big button that says, “Switch to a new browser. Download Google Chrome.”

 

Media Decoder: Samsung Takes New Camera on a National Tour

 Samsung will go coast to coast to highlight its SH100 camera.

The makers of the Samsung SH100 digital camera are taking a literal approach to product placement in a marketing campaign that starts on Monday.

The campaign, called the Samsung Coast to Coast Photo Post, will put a single SH100 into the hands of people in 25 cities across the country so they can use it to post photos on various social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Picasa. The campaign is intended to highlight the camera’s ability to instantly upload photos to the Web, something that an increasing number of cellphone cameras already do.

“We know consumers are increasingly sharing content,” said Reid Sullivan, the company’s senior vice president for mobile entertainment for the United States, adding that the quality of cellphone camera photos is no match for the Samsung device.

Samsung teamed up with the digital agency Mekanism to create the campaign, which is scheduled to start in Los Angeles and end in New York City at the end of the month. The initiative represents the first time the brand and the agency have worked together.

In order to pass the single camera from city to city, a small team from Samsung will visit each location and hand over the device to a person they have deemed a “social influencer” for the day. The goal is to create “little snapshots of Americana,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Representatives from Mekanism will document the approximately 3,600-mile journey in user-generated photographs, and the collection will be shown at a gallery event in June in New York City. The photo that generates the most “likes” on Facebook will be deemed the best of the bunch. Additional promotions will include product demonstration videos on YouTube, in-store dealer promotions and newspaper ads.

 

Brilliant Speed Takes Blue Grass at the Wire

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Brilliant Speed punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby with a thrilling stretch run to win the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.

The 3-year-old colt lagged behind the rest of the 12-horse field until the turn, then exploded over the final quarter-mile to edge Twinspired by a nose.

The $450,000 winner's check gives Brilliant Speed more than enough graded-stakes earnings to earn a spot in next month's Run for the Roses. Ridden by Joel Rosario and trained by Tom Albertrani, Brilliant Speed covered the 1 1-8 miles on Keeneland's Polytrack in 1:50.92 and paid $40.20, $20.80 and $13.

Twinspired and jockey Robby Albarado paid $21.20 and $11.80 for second, while King Congie paid $8.80 for third.

Santiva went off as the solid 2-1 favorite but never threatened despite slow fractions on a cold, wet day more reminiscent of late fall than early spring. He ended up ninth, jeopardizing his chances of making the Derby field.

The Derby is limited to 20 horses, with a spot determined by graded stakes earnings if more than 20 are entered. Santiva began the day 18th on the list.

Meanwhile, Brilliant Speed locked up a spot by looking right at home in his first start on a synthetic surface. He loped lazily along before the turn for home. Rosario got his horse's attention then expertly swung him wide, allowing Brilliant Speed to chase down the leaders with massive strides.

The victory was the latest in a string of improbable results for one of the Derby's final major preps. Brilliant Speed went off at 19-1 thanks largely to an unimpressive resume that included just one victory, a triumph on the turf in a maiden allowance race at Tampa the day after Christmas.

He hit the board in each of his two previous starts this year, including a third in the Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6.

Yet nothing seemed to indicate the kind of performance he put together Saturday. His win has earned him a trip to the Derby, sweet redemption for owner Charlotte Weber, who lost Derby contender To Honor and Serve to a leg injury last week.

Success in the Blue Grass hasn't translated to the Derby lately. Strike the Gold is the last horse to sweep both races and Street Sense is the last Blue Grass entry to come through under the twin spires.

 

Baseball Roundup: With Beckett Sharp, Boston’s Torment Takes the Day Off

Beckett (2-1) held Toronto to one run in seven innings Saturday as host Boston beat the Blue Jays, 4-1. Jed Lowrie hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who are 3-10, still the worst in the majors.

Beckett (2-1) had nine strikeouts and he allowed two base runners in an inning only once. Through three starts, Beckett has a 1.80 earned run average. Last season, Beckett missed two months with a strained back and went 6-6 with a 5.78 E.R.A.

“I definitely pushed myself a little bit more; I definitely felt good today,” he said. “That was one of the things where on a day game like today, where maybe the energy is down a little bit — that’s a way of picking myself up.”

The victory ended Boston’s three-game losing streak.

RAYS 4, TWINS 3 Ben Zobrist led off the bottom of the ninth with a tying home run against Minnesota closer Joe Nathan (0-1), and Johnny Damon ended the game with a two-out, bases-loaded single, giving host Tampa Bay its fifth straight victory. Damon, though hitting just .218, has driven in 12 runs.

The blown save was Nathan’s second of the series.

INDIANS 8, ORIOLES 3 Josh Tomlin (3-0) pitched six innings and Orlando Cabrera drove in four runs for Cleveland, which won its sixth straight at home and sent Baltimore to its sixth straight loss.

In the last 12 games, Indians starters are 8-1 with a 1.91 E.R.A. Cleveland’s 10-4 start is its best in nine years.

ROYALS 7, MARINERS 0 Alex Gordon had three hits, increasing his league-leading total to 22 and extending his hitting streak to 10 games, as host Kansas City beat Seattle for the third straight day. Sean O’Sullivan (1-1) threw five scoreless innings in his first start.

The Mariners stranded 11 runners, committed two errors and allowed three unearned runs, all charged to Felix Hernandez (1-2).

ANGELS 7, WHITE SOX 2 Tyler Chatwood, a 21-year-old in his second career start, pitched seven impressive innings for his first victory, and Hank Conger hit a three-run homer for visiting Los Angeles.

Chatwood allowed five hits and one run, on Carlos Quentin’s 100th career home run.

GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3 Freddy Sanchez doubled in the tying run in the sixth inning, then put visiting San Francisco up for good with a two-run single in the seventh.

Giants starter Barry Zito left after spraining his right foot lunging for a bunt in the second inning. The Giants said X-rays were negative, but Zito was on crutches after the game, and a magnetic resonance imaging test was planned.

REDS 11, PIRATES 2 Ramon Hernandez of host Cincinnati hit his sixth career grand slam during a seven-run fifth inning against James McDonald, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending Pittsburgh to its fifth loss in six games.

CUBS 8, ROCKIES 3 Casey Coleman pitched into the sixth, scattering four hits, and Starlin Castro went 4 for 5 with a three-run homer as Chicago ended host Colorado’s winning streak at seven.

ASTROS 5, PADRES 3 Joe Inglett’s pinch-hit single broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning for host Houston. Inglett, acquired from Tampa Bay in March, had had one hit in his first 12 at-bats with the Astros.

SIZEMORE READY TO RETURN Cleveland outfielder Grady Sizemore, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee in June, could be activated from the disabled list in the next two days and return to the lineup. Manager Manny Acta declined to specify the day. “We don’t know when, but it’s going to be soon,” Acta said.

NATIONALS PROSPECT DIES Shortstop Yewri Guillen, an 18-year-old Washington prospect, died Thursday of bacterial meningitis in the Dominican Republic, prompting the team to protect other players at its training academy there.

Guillen first showed symptoms of the disease around Monday, according to Dr. Wiemi Douoguih, the Nationals’ medical director. He said the team was still trying to determine how Guillen contracted the disease.

Douoguih said that other players at the academy were not at risk and that the Nationals were assessing what they could do to prevent a recurrence. It is unclear whether Guillen was in contact with other players at the academy.