RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond-based real estate company has acquired 14 properties in North Carolina.
Lingerfelt CommonWealth Partners said Monday in a news release that the properties total 379,000 square feet. They are located in the Deep River Corporate Center, West Friendly Business Park and Air Park West business parks in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The company says the acquisitions bring its total portfolio holdings to about 3 million square feet.
OMAHA, Neb. -- Online brokerage TD Ameritrade says its investors pulled back from equities a bit in August as global uncertainty intensified and the stock market set records.
TD Ameritrade said Monday that its Investor Movement Index slipped to 5.68 in August from July's 5.85, but it remained near the top of the six-point scale.
The unrest in the Middle East and Ukraine along with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa added to uncertainty.
TD Ameritrade's Nicole Sherrod says investors were also selling off stocks that had posted gains and shifting into others.
Tekmira Pharmacueticals, which is developing an Ebola vaccine, was a popular investment.
But TD Ameritrade investors were net sellers overall, and tech stocks that have recorded gains this year were popular sells, including: Twitter, Intel, Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices.
BEIRUT: More states are agreeing on the need to prevent Lebanon from becoming the next constituent of the Islamic State, UK Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher tweeted on Monday.
“Hearing louder consensus across regions on need to keep Lebanon out of 'Islamic State', and 'Islamic State' out of Lebanon” wrote Fletcher on his twitter page.
According to Fletcher, Lebanon could beat ISIS by “backing the Army, rejecting sectarianism, keeping calm, securing [its] border [with Syria], providing alternatives and not scapegoating refugees.”
Militants from ISIS are holding at least eight Army soldiers captive, after clashes erupted between the two groups in the north eastern town of Arsal last month.
ISIS militants have beheaded two of the Army hostages in the past two weeks.
Several reports have suggested that the battle of Arsal in early August foiled a plan to establish an Islamic State in Lebanon.
Last month, detained jihadist Imad Jomaa, whose arrest sparked the five days of intense clashes between militants and the Lebanese Army in Arsal, confessed to plans of establishing an Islamic State between the Bekaa Valley and North Lebanon.
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BEIRUT: Lebanese coexistence was being championed Monday as visitors from across the world gathered for a workshop inside the St. Georges Cathedral in Downtown Beirut.
At a time when many Lebanese are longing to escape the country’s woes, the participants in Rebuild Together’s coexistence workshop were delighted to be here.
The organization brings people from diverse countries and backgrounds together and Beirut’s event was no different, with visitors from Europe and other Arab countries part of the smiling crowd.
“I don’t have [wide capacity] to change society, but if I can change [how people in society think] then this is convergence,” said Father Hani Tawk.
Tawk, the organization’s general coordinator, was speaking to The Daily Star as participants were roaming around the cathedral. The Mohammad al-Amin Mosque was their next spot to visit.
During the nine-day forum, participants will learn more about the history and motivation of Lebanese coexistence, while visiting different areas and getting to know more about the country’s diversity.
“I don’t want them to change me and I don’t want them to change,” added Tawk, saying that acceptance was essential to coexistence.
The organization champions mutual respect and understanding as vital ingredients for Lebanon, the region and the world at large.
According the president of Rebuild Together in Switzerland, the country is comparable to Lebanon, with an equally diverse society.
“Switzerland is a multicultural country and we can recognize each other as two small countries, which try to avoid being a battlefield for other countries,” explained Marie-Laure Sturm.
Sturm argued for the importance of sharing and learning between the two countries, as coexistence was as vital in Europe as it was in Lebanon, especially with the rise of the right wing.
“The extreme right doesn’t like foreigners; they want to keep their rights for themselves and they exclude the others,” Sturm told The Daily Star.
Although Sturm believed that the reason behind the rise of extremism in the Middle East wasn’t similar to that of the right wing in Europe, she argued that the spirit was similar.
The current turmoil in the region, the prosecution of Christians in Iraq by ISIS and the rise of Islamist extremism were inevitable topics to be discussed at the forum.
Boulos Matar, the Maronite bishop of Beirut, told the visitors that Lebanon would continue to be a country for both Muslims and Christians, during a meeting at the Maronite Archdiocese.
“Because we are surrounded by wars and conflicts, Sunni-Shiite peace will not be easily achieved in Lebanon,” Boulos said.
“But we must be firm, and say that no matter what’s going on between Sunnis and Shiites, and between Christians and Muslims [in the region] we don’t want war,” he added, saying that the civil war that broke out in 1975 was not based on religious conflict.
Boulos also explained that killing in the name of religion was something denounced by both Muslims and Christians.
His comments were also echoed by another participant at the forum.
“The truth is the Levant is currently suffering from a crisis that’s dividing Muslims and Christians,” said journalist Ahmad Shraideh, arguing that this crisis has been a major setback for the foundations of coexistence.
“This meeting taking place in Lebanon is to say that many have the [intention] to protect this,” he added, saying that terrorists would not succeed in dividing the two religions.
Sturm believed that minorities in general are being threatened by those aiming to create instability in the world.
“What’s happening to Christians is horrible, but it’s not only them. Refugees and minorities [are being targeted] as well,” she said.
“This trend to try to build states on ethnic and religious identity basis [means we] need to have more inclusive circles and processes.”
ZENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Families and friends have buried five Bosnian miners whose bodies were recovered from a coal mine pit that collapsed last week when a 3.5-magnitude earthquake hit the central town of Zenica.
The earthquake caused a buildup of methane gas that led to an explosion, which collapsed the mine and trapped 34 miners about 500 meters (more than one-quarter mile) below the surface Thursday evening.
On Friday, 29 survivors were rescued but the bodies of the five victims were pulled out over the weekend. Thousands of people attended the funeral Monday.
It was the third incident at the Zenica pits this year, underscoring the vulnerability of the mines in Bosnia and elsewhere in the Balkans, which are generally poorly secured and where miners work with outdated equipment and little protection.
NEW YORK -- New York lawmakers are calling for Congress to reauthorize federal legislation to compensate first responders who became ill working at ground zero.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and members of Congress from both parties made their call Monday at the World Trade Center.
Thursday is the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
The two programs in the current bill provide medical treatment and compensation. They're set to expire in 2015 and 2016.
The lawmakers say a bill to reauthorize the programs will be introduced in the Senate and House this month.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says letting the programs expire would mean the government had turned its back on heroes.
The programs have paid out more than $1.1 billion to those affected by the attacks.
NEW YORK -- Amazon slashed the price of its Fire smartphone Monday, a day before Apple is expected to unveil its latest version of the iPhone.
The online retailer said the Fire with 32 gigabytes of memory will now cost 99 cents when customers sign a two-year contract with AT&T. That's down from $199.
The phone with 64 gigabytes of memory will now cost $99 with a two-year contract, down from $299.
Amazon said the phones will still come with unlimited cloud storage for photos and a free 12 months of Amazon Prime, the company's free shipping and video-streaming plan, which normally costs $99 a year.
The Seattle-based company began selling the phone in June through a preorder. Besides a possible new iPhone, the Fire is expected to face increasing competition this fall. Samsung unveiled two new phones last week that are set to go on sale in October.
Shares of Amazon.com Inc. fell $4.88, or 1.41 percent, to $341.50.
NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Radivoje Miljanic, the owner of "Putin Cafe," has no dilemma over the course Serbia should take over Ukraine: turn off the pro-Western path and forge a strong alliance with Slavic ally Russia.
"Our government cannot sit on two chairs," Miljanic said, sipping vodka in his smoky joint under a poster of Russian President Vladimir Putin, featuring Russian and Serbian flags and an onion-domed Christian Orthodox church.
Serbia finds itself caught in the middle of Moscow's row with the West over Ukraine and is suddenly being confronted with a hard choice: continue down its path toward EU membership, or give up that dream and cozy up to Russia.
Until now, Serbia could sit on the fence. Now Moscow is issuing warnings, and so is the EU. Both are basically asking: Whose side are you on?
A cartoon recently published by Belgrade's Danas daily sums up Serbia's foreign policy confusion: Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is shown playing two pianos at the same time; German chancellor Angela Merkel is conducting on one side and Putin on the other.
Serbian officials are finding it difficult to make a clear-cut decision that could further destabilize the Balkans — the southeastern region of Europe still reeling from the bloody civil wars in the 1990s. If Serbia ditches the EU and turns to Russia, it could become an isolated island among neighbors who are either seeking EU membership, or are already part of the 28-nation bloc.
That would be economically disastrous for Serbia: Serbia exports about nine times more of its food and agricultural products to the EU than Russia. Serbian exports to Russia currently stand at a modest $170 million despite a free-trade agreement between the two countries.
Although Serbian officials say they respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and do not support Russia's annexation of Crimea, they are telling the West that being forced to impose EU-like sanctions against Russia would be disastrous for the country's stagnating economy — especially since most of its energy sector is controlled by Gazprom, the Russian energy giant.
And there are historic Slavic bonds that Serbian politicians must respect in order to please voters.
"We will not turn our backs on our Russian friends who are alone and whom everybody is against right now," said Vucic, a former pro-Russian ultra-nationalist politician recently turned pro-EU reformer.
"It is Serbia's strategic goal to become a member of the European Union," he said. "At the same time, Serbia did not and will not introduce sanctions against the Russian Federation."
That stand has the support of the nationalist electorate that brought Vucic to prominence. But many analysts believe Serbia will soon be compelled to make a strategic decision on its future.
"Serbia's maneuvering space is getting smaller as it walks a tight rope," said political analyst Jelica Minic. "The EU's message is clear: more pressure on Serbia to align itself with the bloc's foreign policies."
After the U.S. and the EU slapped sanctions on Russian state banks and major industries last month over the clashes in Ukraine, Russia responded with a wide-ranging embargo on food products imported from those countries.
Serbia is hoping to capitalize on Russia's ban by increasing its food exports and replacing some Western goods on the Russian market. But the EU has warned Serbia to refrain from "exploiting" the Russian ban by increasing the exports with state subsidies.
Russia sees Serbia — although it was never in the Soviet bloc — as one of its last true allies in the Balkans. Moscow has threatened Belgrade that adopting the EU sanctions would mean losing preferential trade status with Russia.
Moscow is also issuing quiet threats that it could drop its endorsement in the United Nations for Serbia's opposition to the independence of Kosovo, a onetime province that declared statehood in 2008. Putin has warned Serbia not to seek NATO membership because it is in Russia's "sphere of interest" — a message he also directed at Ukraine before a pro-Russian insurgency took off in April.
"If Serbia was to introduce sanctions against Russia, it would be like shooting itself in the foot," the Russian Ambassador to Belgrade, Alexander Chepurin, said in an interview with the Belgrade-based Vecernje Novosti newspaper.
"Such a decision could be adopted only by a suicidal politician because Serbia would get no benefits from such a move, only enormous damages," he said.
In Serbia, anti-Western sentiments run high since NATO's bombardment in 1999 over the bloody crackdown against Kosovo separatists. Dozens of Serb volunteers have joined pro-Russian rebel forces in Ukraine, despite warnings by Serbian authorities that they could be arrested and sentenced to jail when they return.
Despite the seemingly dominant pro-Russian sentiments, Serbs are deeply split over which way the country should go in the future. About 48 percent of Serbs want to join the EU, with the rest against it or undecided.
"For me, there is no dilemma: Serbia is in Europe and should be in the European Union," said Belgrade university student Marina Jovanic, 20. "I would never live in Russia. What would I be doing there? My plan is to one day seek a job and live in western Europe or the United States."
But the so-called "Rusofils" — the Russia supporters — are on the offensive in Serbia, where graffiti of Putin are painted on house walls and those saying "No to EU" are common.
The Russian president may have won a few admirers in the West with his warmongering policies in Ukraine, but he has many allies in Serbia.
"Putin is the only statesman in the world who strongly opposes the American and European hegemony," said Miljanic, the cafe owner who is also a leader of the small, non-parliamentary, Russia Party in Serbia.
Walgreen has named Jana Partners founder Barry Rosenstein to its board, and the activist investor will get a say in choosing at least one additional director for the nation's largest drugstore chain.
Walgreen Co. is feeling shareholder pressure after lowering its forecast for the earnings it expects after combining with health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots, which runs the United Kingdom's largest drugstore chain. The Deerfield, Illinois, company's shares have dropped since it cut its forecast last month and said it will no longer consider an overseas reorganization that would have trimmed its U.S. taxes.
Walgreen said Monday that Jana Partners will recommend an additional independent director who has no ties to either the drugstore chain or the hedge fund. If another board vacancy opens and Walgreen decides to fill it, then Jana and the nation's largest drugstore chain must agree on the replacement.
Jana Funds holds about a 1.3 percent stake in Walgreen, or 12.5 million shares. Rosenstein will resign from Walgreen's board if that falls below about 6.3 million shares, according to the agreement between the hedge fund and the drugstore chain.
Jana also has agreed to cap its Walgreen stake at 4.9 percent while Rosenstein serves on the drugstore chain's board.
Jana Partners has influenced corporate strategy recently with its investments in companies such as pet food retailer PetSmart Inc. and Redbox parent Outerwall Inc. PetSmart said last month that it would consider selling itself, while Outerwall in December outlined plans to cut jobs and costs and shut down some businesses.
Rosenstein, 55, will join the finance committee of Walgreen's board. He said in a statement from the drugstore chain that he was eager to "work constructively" with the company's management.
Walgreen shares rose 68 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $64.63 Monday morning while broader trading indexes were mixed.
The company's shares lost 12 percent last month, hurt by the cut forecast. But the stock was still up 11 percent in 2014 through Friday's close. That topped the 8.6 percent gain from the Standard & Poor's 500 index over the same span.
Walgreen, which runs nearly 8,200 drugstores, will report its fiscal fourth quarter earnings Sept. 30.
ST. LOUIS -- A mother-and-son team of securities' brokers in St. Louis has been banned from working in Missouri in response to charges they defrauded an 89-year-old woman of more than $200,000.
Secretary of State Jason Kander on Monday issued a cease-and-desist order against Marylin H. Kistler and her son Mark A. Kistler.
The two are accused of convincing the unidentified woman to invest $225,000 in a home repair business that included a $110,000 home equity line of credit on the woman's home.
Mark Kistler reportedly moved into the woman's home after she relocated to an assisted living facility at the request of Kistler and his mother. State regulators say the woman was a medical patient of Kistler's father.
NEW YORK -- The federal government is recommending that a former portfolio manager serve up to about 20 years in prison. His lawyers call that "outrageous" and "irrational."
Mathew Martoma will be sentenced Monday afternoon.
His lawyers said in a recent court filing that to mete out such a stiff punishment, the judge would have to conclude Martoma teamed up with his billionaire boss. They say the government never proved Martoma provided Steven A. Cohen with inside information.
Cohen has not been criminally charged. But the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused him in a civil action of failing to prevent insider trading at his company, SAC Capital Advisors. He has disputed the allegations.
The Probation Department has recommended Martoma receive roughly 15 to 20 years in prison for his securities fraud and conspiracy conviction.
TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisia's prime minister has called for greater foreign investment to help support the country's ailing economy and the transition to democracy.
In a conference entitled "Investment in Tunisia: Startup Democracy," Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on Monday called "investing in Tunisia an investment in democracy."
Tunisians overthrew their dictator in 2011 and are set to complete the democratic transition with autumn elections.
The economy is failing, however, with 15.7 percent unemployment. Some 15 percent of the population lives under the poverty line, up from 10 percent in 2010, according to recent central bank figures.
Bank head Chadli Ayari said growth for 2014 is predicted to only be 2.8 percent, while inflation is at 7 percent.
The conference was attended by representatives of 30 countries, including French Prime Minister Emmanuel Valls.
MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Under a new law, the Vermont Department of Taxes will start issuing lists by the end of the year of 100 individual taxpayers and 100 business taxpayers with the highest amounts of unpaid tax debt.
The law, enacted in June, allows the state's commissioner of taxes the ability to compile and publish the lists on the department's website.
More than 28 states publish lists of delinquent taxpayers and have found it to be an effective tool. Vermont officials hope to achieve similar results.
Over the next few weeks, the department will begin notifying taxpayers identified as having levels of tax debt that would potentially place them on one of the lists. They will be offered a final chance to pay their outstanding tax debts, avoiding publication on the lists.
BEIRUT: American higher education is the only unacknowledged U.S. foreign policy success, said the president of the American University of Beirut Monday, arguing that the educational model contributed to fighting radicalism in the region.
“The American liberal arts educational model is still regarded as the gold standard in the Arab world, and may well be the tool that will help the region fight radicalism, promote pluralism, and produce enlightened and skilled individuals who will help develop the region,” Peter Dorman told a nearly packed Assembly Hall during a ceremony Monday, marking the official start of the academic year.
Lauding the impact of American higher education in the regional, Dorman said he considered the liberal arts education model as the “one unacknowledged American intervention in the Middle East that can be deemed a shining success.”
Dorman argued that American-style education benefits the region by producing enlightened students who respected the diversity of beliefs and the fundamental dignity that was inherent to all humans.
“It is this kind of an education that, we must hope and trust, prepares young men and women for the turbulent world through which we are passing,” he said.
Homegrown men and women equipped with the benefits of American higher education, according to Dorman, are needed most in “places where conflicts over nationalism, identity and citizenship are most pronounced.”
“New societies must be constructed by indigenous populations of the Arab world, and they will reflect their own profound cultural, historical, and religious heritage,” he said.
CHICAGO -- Grain futures were lower Monday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat for Dec delivery was unchanged at $5.3525 a bushel; Dec corn was 8.75 cents lower at $3.4725 a bushel; Dec oats were unchanged at $3.45 a bushel; while Nov soybeans loss 13 cents to $10.0850 a bushel.
Beef mostly lower and pork mostly higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Oct live cattle was .55 cents lower at $1.5920 pound; Oct feeder cattle was .12 cents lower at 2.2425 a pound; Oct lean hogs loss 2.22 cents to $1.0340 a pound.
WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Monday the Obama administration will decide "in the very near future" what actions it can take to make it less profitable for U.S. companies to shift their legal addresses to other countries.
A growing number of U.S. companies are shifting their addresses abroad in an effort to reduce their U.S. taxes. The maneuver is known as a corporate inversion.
In a speech Monday morning, Lew said these companies are eroding the U.S. tax base and shifting the burden of funding the government to other taxpayers. He said the best way to address the issue is for Congress to overhaul the U.S. tax code making it more attractive for companies to stay in the U.S.
With tax reform facing an uncertain future in Congress, Lew pressed lawmakers to pass legislation making it harder for U.S. companies to pull off corporate inversions.
"Still, the administration is clear-eyed about the possibility that Congress may not move as quickly as necessary to respond to the growing wave of inversions," Lew said. "Given that, the Treasury Department is completing an evaluation of what we can do to make these deals less economically appealing, and we plan to make a decision in the very near future."
An inversion happens when a U.S. corporation and a foreign company merge, with the new parent company based in the foreign country. For tax purposes, the U.S. company becomes foreign-owned, even if all the executives and operations stay in the U.S.
About 50 U.S. companies have carried out inversions in the past decade, and more are considering it, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The recent wave of inversions has been dominated by health care companies, including drugmaker AbbVie, which has announced plans to merge with a drug company incorporated in Britain.
In August, Burger King announced that it will acquire Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain. Burger King executives insist they are not trying to escape U.S. taxes. But some members Congress are skeptical, mainly because the corporate headquarters of the new parent company will be in Canada.
Several Democrats in Congress have announced bills to make it harder for U.S. corporations to carry out inversions, and President Barack Obama included provisions in his 2015 budget request to limit inversions.
Experts are divided over how much Treasury can do without action by Congress.
Lew said, "Any action we take will have a strong legal and policy basis, but will not be a substitute for meaningful legislation — it can only address part of the economics. Only a change in the law can shut the door, and only tax reform can solve the problems in our tax code that leads to inversions."
DETROIT -- A trial to determine Detroit's path out of bankruptcy is entering its first full week after four days of evidence last week.
Judge Steven Rhodes heard from the city's chief financial officer as well as a consultant who talked about a plan to use $1.7 billion to improve services over the next decade.
The judge must decide whether Detroit's plan is fair and feasible. Virtually all creditors, including thousands of retirees, are endorsing it, although bond insurers are opposed because their losses would be significant.
Emergency manager Kevyn Orr has been sitting front and center at the trial and is expected to testify at some point. He took Detroit into bankruptcy last year with the blessing of Gov. Rick Snyder.
Twitter is testing a way to let users go shopping or make charitable contributions between tweets.
A small percentage of users will receive tweets from Twitter test partners Monday featuring a "buy" button that lets them make purchases or donate money. Initial partners include the musical groups Soundgarden and Panic! At The Disco, retailers Home Depot and Burberry, and nonprofits The Nature Conservancy and GLAAD.
After clicking the buy button, users will be prompted to enter shipping and payment information. Then the order will be sent to the merchant for delivery.
Users' personal information will be encrypted. And their credit card details won't be given to sellers without permission.
The uncle of one of the kidnapped soldiers dies in a car accident on the highway linking Tripoli to Beirut.
TOKYO -- Surging tennis star Kei Nishikori is all the rage in Japan after becoming the first Asian player to reach the U.S. Open men's final. His Uniqlo-brand tennis shirts have sold out, as have the Wilson rackets he uses. Thousands of people have signed up for the satellite TV channel showing the U.S. Open. Many Japanese plan to wake up early Tuesday Japan time to see if Nishikori can make history again when he faces Marin Cilic from Croatia in the finals.
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TENNIS GEAR
Tennis players have snapped up Wilson Steam 95 rackets, which have been out of stock since late August, according to Windsor Corp., a leading tennis equipment store chain. The rackets have been popular since Nishikori's victory in the Barcelona Open in April. Now dozens of people are on the waiting list and customers are also buying the shoes, racket strings and grip tape used by the star, Windsor says. His Uniqlo U.S. Open "Dry Ex" shirts have also sold out. They attracted attention because the company also sponsors No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, which made the Nishikori-Djokovic semifinal match a duel between Uniqlo wearers.
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LAST-MINUTE TV SUBSCRIPTIONS
Satellite TV operator WOWOW, which has exclusive rights to broadcast the U.S. Open live in Japan, has been flooded with calls from people trying to get last-minute subscriptions. Company spokesman Yutaka Toyoshima said subscription requests surged from earlier this month and peaked Sunday, with more than 10 times as many as usual. The company is working around the clock to process the subscriptions, he said.
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BIG BONUS?
In 2012, when Nishikori made the quarterfinals in the Australian Open, Tadashi Yanai, chairman of Uniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing, reportedly promised Nishikori a large bonus if he wins a Grand Slam. A big question now in Japan is: Is it true? Uniqlo official Keiko Yamamoto declined to comment, saying the contract was confidential.
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INSTANT NOODLES
Nishikori mania is even spilling over to an instant noodle brand. Nissin Food Products Co., a sponsor since 2008, says there may be a special reward for the star if he wins. The company has sold a special Kei Nishikori version of instant noodles in the past, and there may be another. Company spokesman Masashi Kanaya said Nishikori's "fresh and healthy image, as well as his powerful style seeking to climb to the top" are a perfect match for the company's identity.
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GOVERNMENT HOPES
Hopes for a Nishikori victory are also running high in the government. Chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Monday a win would be "a historic event not only for Japan but for all of Asia, so I really would like to see him make history." Officials say Nishikori could get a congratulatory phone call from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
NEW YORK -- Hertz Chairman and CEO Mark Frissora has stepped down from his posts for personal reasons. He had had served as CEO since January 2007.
The car rental company said Monday that Brian P. MacDonald, president and CEO of Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., will serve as interim CEO of Hertz Global Holdings Inc. MacDonald has served as president and CEO of Hertz Equipment Rental since June.
Hertz, based in Park Ridge, New Jersey, said that it has started the search process for a permanent CEO.
MacDonald has led turnarounds at companies including Sunoco Inc. and Isuzu Motors Ltd.
Hertz in in the process of trying to turn its business around. In June, the company said it needed to review and correct financial statements from the last three years because of accounting errors. It has delayed its second-quarter filing as a result.
In late August Hertz withdrew its guidance for 2014, saying it would come up far short of expectations. That same month it was disclosed that activist investor Carl Icahn had taken an 8.5 percent stake in the company.
Hertz said Monday that it is still committed to the planned separation of its equipment rental business into a separate, publicly traded company and expanding its off-airport rental business, among other initiatives.
Independent lead director Linda Fayne Levinson has also been named independent non-executive chair of the board. She's been a Hertz board member since 2012.
Hertz's stock rose almost 5 percent, or $1.39, to $29.85 shortly before the opening bell Monday.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby, foreground, speaks to the head of Syrian Coalition (SNC), second right, during a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday. Elaraby is urging the League's members to confront Islamic State extremists. Amr Nabil/AP hide caption
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby, foreground, speaks to the head of Syrian Coalition (SNC), second right, during a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday. Elaraby is urging the League's members to confront Islamic State extremists.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby is calling on the organization's members toward a "comprehensive confrontation" of Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria in apparent support of U.S. plans to build a coalition to stop the militants.
Elaraby said that a "clear and firm decision for a comprehensive confrontation" was needed to confront the "cancerous and terrorist" groups in the region.
The 22-member Arab League "could provide crucial support across the Middle East for [President] Obama's effort to assemble an international coalition against the Islamic State," The Associated Press writes.
The Arab League includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Elaraby's comments come shortly after the U.S. stepped up airstrikes near the Haditha Dam in Iraq's western Anbar province.
Reuters reports:
"The leader of a pro-Iraqi government paramilitary force in western Iraq said the air strikes wiped out an Islamic State patrol trying to attack the dam - Iraq's second biggest hydroelectric facility that also provides millions with water.
"'They (the air strikes) were very accurate. There was no collateral damage ... If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even (the capital) Baghdad,' Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha told Reuters."
President Obama told NBC's Meet the Press that he will address the nation on Wednesday to outline a new approach to fighting the insurgency, but that it would not involve U.S. ground forces.
Obama is expected to meet with congressional leaders on Tuesday about the plan.
"I just want the American people to understand the nature of the threat and how we're going to deal with it and to have confidence that we'll be able to deal with it," Obama told NBC.
BATH, Maine -- A composite deckhouse for the second Zumwalt-class destroyer has arrived at Bath Iron Works in Maine.
The deckhouse and helicopter hangar built at a shipyard in Mississippi arrived by barge on Friday. The structure will house radar and sensors, along with the bridge and combat operations center.
The 900-ton deckhouse will eventually be hoisted onto the hull of USS Michael Monsoor, the second of three of the stealthy ships that are being built at Bath Iron Works.
The Zumwalt destroyers were designed for shore bombardment and feature two 155mm guns that fire rocket-propelled warheads, along with other weapons. But it's the ships' unusual shape that gets them noticed. The Navy says the angular shape reduces the ships' radar signature.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Whole Foods Market Inc. has partnered with Instacart to offer grocery delivery within an hour for online purchasers in more than a dozen cities.
Austin-based Whole Foods on Monday announced the deal with San Francisco-based Instacart that also includes online orders and in-store pickup at some sites.
Instacart delivers from Whole Foods stores in all 15 cities it currently serves: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; San Jose, California; Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Whole Foods says customers at select stores in Austin and Boston will soon be able to place orders online via Instacart and pick up the items at participating stores. The companies in the coming months will expand the in-store pickup option to all cities Instacart serves.
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Lobstermen say the second annual closing of the Long Island Sound lobster fishery won't solve the problem of persistent declines in their catch.
Last year for the first time, the state closed the Long Island Sound lobster fishery from Sept. 8 to Nov. 28 in response to falling lobster populations.
The Day of New London reports (http://bit.ly/1tEcL40 ) that as the second seasonal closing starts, the state's remaining lobstermen blame the declining catch on pollution from sewage plants, pesticide and rising temperatures of the Sound that interferes with lobsters' metabolism.
At its peak in 1998, 3.7 million pounds of lobsters were caught by Connecticut's commercial lobstermen. In 2013, it was less than 120,000 pounds, down 97 percent.
Nicholas Crismale, president of the Connecticut Commercial Lobstermen's Association, says the industry in the Sound is basically gone.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- A Long Island woman has been charged with operating a loan modification scam.
Tania Ayala was arrested Sunday at her Uniondale home and charged with grand larceny.
Authorities say she bilked clients of more than $80,000 that she promised would be paid toward loan modifications on their homes.
Newsday (http://nwsdy.li/1ApEPqv ) says the alleged scam began in 2009.
Police say she recommended two clients seeking mortgage modifications send their money orders to her personal post office box. One check was for $31,000 and another for $53,000.
Authorities say she used the money for herself.
Newsday says neither Ayala nor her attorney could be reached for comment.
Police say anyone who may have been a victim or who has information about the cases should contact the Crimes Against Property Squad at 516-573-5275.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. workers face a dim future, with stagnant or falling pay and fewer openings for full-time jobs.
That's the picture that emerges from a survey of Harvard Business School alumni.
More than 40 percent of the respondents foresee lower pay and benefits for workers. Roughly half favor outsourcing work over hiring staffers. A growing share prefer part-time employees. Nearly half would rather invest in new technology than hire or retain workers.
At the same time, it's becoming harder for the executives to find skilled workers, according to the survey results being released Monday.
Jan Rivkin, one of the survey's lead authors, suggested that a failure by companies to develop a skilled workforce could ultimately hurt those companies and the competitiveness of the U.S. economy.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Chiquita is postponing a vote on its proposed merger with the Irish fruit seller Fyffes as it awaits a new bid from another potential buyer.
Chiquita said Monday it has received a waiver from Fyffes allowing it to hold talks with investment firm Safra Group and Brazil's Cutrale Group, an agribusiness and juice company. Chiquita is now seeking a best and final offer from Cutrale and Safra.
Chiquita rejected a $611 million offer from Safra and Cutrale last month.
A special shareholders meeting to vote on the Fyffes deal, which was to take place next week, will now be held on Oct. 3.
Chiquita and Fyffes announced in March that they would combine to create a new company called ChiquitaFyffes PLC, based in Dublin, where Fyffes has its headquarters.
Chiquita Brands International Inc., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, also said that it is extending the employment of CEO Edward Lonergan by a year through Oct. 8, 2015. The company said that the extension would help to ensure continuity.
The new United Nations envoy on the Syria conflict, Staffan de Mistura, is to make his first trip to Damascus Tuesday,...
HERMEL, Lebanon: Two men from the Masri family were detained Monday, after the family was accused of kidnapping two Arsali residents Sunday to use a bargaining chip against ISIS, who is holding their relative captive.
Mohammad and Hussein al-Masri were detained by the Lebanese Army as suspects in kidnapping of Hussein al-Fliti and Abdullah al-Breidy.
Initial media reports said that the two Masris were released at noon, but Al-Jadeed TV reported that the family denied the news, saying the two are still detained, and calling on the Army to release them immediately.
Kidnapped on Sunday, Fliti and Breidy are being held at the residence of a Masri family member in Hourtaala, east Lebanon, a security source told The Daily Star.
The kidnapper is demanding the release of Ali Zayd al-Masri, who is among the captured soldiers being held by ISIS. The family warned that if their relative was harmed or killed, Breidy and Fliti would face the same fate.
Fliti was kidnapped as he returned with his Dabke dance troupe, the Temples of Baalbek, on the Badnayel road. He was taken along with the head of the group, Omar Hamade and Hamade’s father and son. The Hamades were all released around 1 a.m. while Fliti was taken to an unknown location.
A security source told The Daily Star that the release of the others, belonging to the Hamade family, was due to political pressure.
The kidnapping incident came one day after ISIS beheaded the captive soldier Abbas Medlej, who, along with 28 others, was kidnapped during the Arsal clashes last month.
The slaughter of Medlej prompted Lebanese officials to call for calm and civil unity, fearing that the killing could instigate sectarian strife among Lebanese.
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk told As-Safir in an article published Monday that his communication with top Hezbollah officials had “contributed to controlling tensions in streets and facilitated self-restraint.”
Although Medlej’s family, backed by Hezbollah, called for avoiding any violent reactions and standing behind the state and its forces, the kidnapping of the two Arsalis was based on fear over Masri receiving the same fate as Medlej.
BURJ AL-SHEMALI, Lebanon: Syrian refugees have been given 48 hours to evacuate one southern village, according to notices from the police, over health problems and security concerns in their informal refugee camp.
Police from Tyre's Burj al-Shemali Municipality handed out letters to Syrian refugees in the village saying they had 48 hours to evacuate or be held accountable.
The camp, built on public property belonging to the municipality, consists of 110 tents each housing more than one family who have fled to the southern village since the uprising began in 2011.
Mayor Ali Dib said the measure was in light of health and security concerns, saying the municipality also sought to get rid of “random refugee settlements.”
“Diseases, especially skin diseases, have spread among the refugees due to sanitation issues,” Dib told The Daily Star.
“We are not against the presence of refugees, but we do not want random settlements to increase, therefore, we asked them to leave the tents and either rent apartments or live on farms they already work in.”
Most of the refugees in Burj al-Shemali and other southern villages work in farming.
The mayor also cited security concerns over the presence of groups of refugees in light of recent clashes in the northeastern border town of Arsal between the Lebanese Army and militants from Syria, some of whom resided in refugee camps nearby.
Meanwhile, a group of Syrian refugee families fled several south Lebanon villages, fearing reprimands against them over the killing of two Lebanese soldiers by ISIS.
ISIS beheaded in the past two weeks two Lebanese soldiers who were among troops kidnapped during Arsal clashes. The radical group is demanding the release of Islamist detainees in Roumieh Prison in exchange for the release of the soldiers.
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BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army should be given a free hand to secure the release of captured soldiers and police officers, the deputy head of Hezbollah's executive council said Monday, accusing March 14 rivals of restraining military action against the takfiri militants holding them.
Speaking at a memorial ceremony for a Hezbollah member in south Lebanon, Nabil Qaouk said that ISIS's beheading of two soldiers was meant to stir sectarian strife in Lebanon.
“We are stronger and smarter than being driven to sectarian strife, and we are much more keen on preserving our national unity,” Qaouk said, in reference to unrest in the streets and blocked roads triggered by the news of the second beheading over the weekend.
“The kidnapping of Lebanese soldiers is an abduction of national dignity and a violation of sovereignty and freedoms, as well as a continuous aggression against the nation. The liberation of the soldiers should inevitably entail giving the Army a free hand [militarily],” Qaouk said.
Accusing March 14 parties of restraining military action against the militants, Qaouk warned that “as long as the Army has its hands tied down by politics, it cannot put pressure on the captors or act militarily to save the soldiers.”
“The position of March 14 should rise up to the level of the dangers of the current phase and the level of the Army’s sacrifices. Any leniency in dealing with the matter would facilitate the infiltration of takfiri terrorism into Lebanon,” Qaouk warned.
At least 29 security personnel, including soldiers and members of the Internal Security Forces, went missing in five days of fighting that pitted the Army against militants from ISIS and Syria’s Nusra Front in early August.
At least 22 are still believed to be in the hands of the militants, after five captives were freed were freed by Nusra and the two soldiers killed by ISIS. The captors have demanded the release of Islamist detainees in Roumieh Prison in exchange for the captives.
Qaouk urged rival parties to unify ranks and join hands in support of the Army.
“We should convey a strong message, that all of Lebanon stands as one in the face of takfiri terrorism,” Qaouk said.
The Hezbollah official also underscored the need to approve a defense strategy for fighting takfiri terrorism, which he said “is a decisive battle that should take precedence over all other internal matters.”
He argued that combining the strength of the Army, Hezbollah’s armed resistance and the people “makes Lebanon stronger and harder to be taken hostage by ISIS.”
“Israel and takfiri terrorism are allies having the same goal of weakening the resistance axis stretching from Iraq, to Syria and Lebanon. But Lebanon, which defeated Israel, is very well capable of defeating Israel’s tools [takfiri militants],” Qaouk added.
Hezbollah’s armed resistance is a main cause of the deep schism between the Future Movement-led March 14 coalition and pro- Hezbollah March 8 camp. The former has called for Hezbollah to disband its armed wing after Israel ended Lebanon’s occupation. However, March 8 has argued that Israel’s threat remains prominent and Hezbollah’s arms are still relevant in protecting Lebanon.
LONDON -- The British pound slid to a 10-month low against the dollar Monday and shares in Scotland-based companies fell after opinion polls suggested the campaign for Scottish independence could be edging toward victory.
At one stage, the pound had fallen 1.4 percent to $1.6104, its lowest level since November. It clawed back some ground by midday trading in London but at $1.6130, the pound is still nearly 2 cents down on the day.
Shares in Scottish-based financial institutions such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Life also took a hammering, falling around 3 percent.
For months, polls have put the anti-independence side ahead, but the gap has narrowed ahead of the Sept. 18 vote. A poll released Sunday put the pro-independence forces in the lead, albeit by just two points. Other polls give the No side a narrow lead.
The leader of the anti-independence "Better Together" campaign denied his forces were panicking as Yes campaigners claimed to have the momentum.
"I'm very confident we will win the day," said Alistair Darling, a former British Treasury chief.
He has been accused of running a negative campaign focusing primarily on the economic risks to Scotland of separation.
Scotland's pro-independence First Minister Alex Salmond says an independent Scotland would continue to use the pound, but the British government says it won't agree to that.
Analysts said that with 10 days to go, markets were waking up to the uncertainties of independence, which include Scotland's status in the European Union, its share of Britain's national debt and its stake in North Sea oil revenue.
Brenda Kelly, Chief Market Strategist at IG Group, said the markets were "beginning to price in what was deemed unthinkable" — the breakup of Britain.
The British government is preparing to offer Scotland more financial autonomy, including greater tax-raising powers, in a bid to slow the pro-independence surge.
Many Scots favor that option — known as maximum devolution, or "devo max" — but it is not on the referendum ballot, which asks whether Scotland should become an independent country.
A yes vote would end Scotland's 307-year-old union with England.
DETROIT -- Officials in Detroit are working to prevent respiratory issues and other possible health problems as they step up efforts to demolish vacant and blighted buildings.
The Detroit News reports (http://bit.ly/1wdVY5V ) that the city is urging residents to keep watch on demolitions and hold contractors accountable. Federal environmental officials on a city task force with the state Department of Environmental Quality and private contractors are pleased with the effort.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says in a statement that "Detroit's new demolition practices balance speed, cost and environmental performance."
The health efforts come as the city ramps up to about 200 demolitions per week.
The city of Detroit has worked for years to deal with blight, including vacant homes and buildings, and thousands of structures have been razed.
The new United Nations envoy on the Syria conflict, Staffan de Mistura, is to make his first trip to Damascus Tuesday,...
BEIRUT: Electricite du Liban contract workers must lift their weekslong siege of the state-run power company before any attempts toward dialogue can be made, Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian said Monday.
“We adhere to the rule of law,” the minister said. “The EDL chairman has said he is ready for dialogue. But contract workers must end their siege first.”
Last week, contract workers called for dialogue to resolve the standoff, after EDL Chairman Kamal Hayek warned of a nationwide electricity crisis due to the ongoing protests.
Nazarian pressed the government to tackle the strike more forcefully.
“The Justice and Interior ministries have failed to do the minimum requirements of their duties," he said.
“EDL is a state-owned company and authorities cannot open the doors of an institution that belongs to the government!” Nazarian told a packed news conference at the Zouk Mikael power plant, north of Beirut.
“Siege of a government institution is forbidden."
EDL contract workers have sealed off all the entrances to EDL headquarters in Beirut since late July, demanding full-time status at the electricity company for all of the close to 2,000 contract workers.
A security source told The Daily Star last week that police had orders to refrain from using force to open EDL’s doors, sealed by protesters for several weeks.
Policemen have since stood guard, with orders to act as a disengagement force between the striking contract workers and full-time employees trying to resume work at the beleaguered electricity company.
Nazarian warned after a meeting of the EDL board that the continued “occupation” of EDL headquarters could lead to further problems that would eventually include a total blackout.
“The ongoing abnormal situation will have ominous repercussions, and the ongoing action by contract workers could plunge the entire country into total darkness,” he said.
Nazarian said the ongoing strike would also affect the employees' pay.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's highest court is examining whether state utilities regulators correctly weighed the consumer impact of two rate increases for a Duke Energy operating unit.
The state Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments Monday in two lawsuits in which Attorney General Roy Cooper argues regulators didn't sufficiently consider the size of rate increases. The two rate cases involve Duke Energy Carolinas, a Duke Energy subsidiary serving customers in Durham and western North Carolina.
One case involves a 4.5 percent average increase approved last year for two years, growing to a 5.1 percent increase thereafter. The second involves a 7.2 percent rate increase originally approved in 2012. Consumers are already paying the higher rates.
Cooper appealed the 2012 rate increase and the Supreme Court last year ordered the North Carolina Utilities Commission to reconsider its size in light of its effect on customers. The commission did, but came to the same conclusion.
Cooper's staff attorneys argued in court filings that regulators didn't really make the findings of fact about the effect of changing economic conditions on customers required by the Supreme Court in last year's ruling.
Attorneys for Duke Energy Carolinas said in court documents that regulators applied their independent judgment in setting the company's return on equity, a measure of profit, at 10.5 percent. The utilities commission also complied with the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling "by taking into account the consumer interest in its determination of ROE," company attorneys wrote.
The Supreme Court last month approved an $88-a-year increase for residential customers of the former Progress Energy.
Duke Energy, the Charlotte-based corporate parent of Duke Energy Carolinas, has defended the rate increase as necessary to recover some of the $11 billion it has invested in the past quarter-century and benefiting customers in the long term by guaranteeing safe, reliable power.
Sen. Pat Roberts was expected to skate to re-election. Republicans now are panicked that he could lose to a free spending independent candidate, harming the GOP's chances of winning Senate control.
BEIRUT: Muslim religious authorities must issue religious edicts prohibiting attacks against Christians and other minorities regardless of circumstance, a coalition of Oriental churches demanded Monday.
The Gathering of Christians in the Levant reiterated its demands in a statement that deplored the desecration of religious symbols - including the recent pro-ISIS graffiti on the walls of churches in Tripoli - cautioning that such actions “would jeopardize national coexistence and fuel sectarian hatreds and strife.”
“We join the voices of the patriarchs of the Orient in stressing the importance that Muslim religious leaders issue a clear and blunt diktat prohibiting the expiation of others and criminalizing attacks on Christians and other minorities,” said the statement, issued at the end of their meeting at the seat of the Chaldean archdiocese in Baabda.
The meeting also touched on the plight of missing Syrian bishops Paul Yazigi and Yohanna Ibrahim, who disappeared in Syria more than 500 days ago, calling for information regarding their whereabouts and for parties to help secure their release.
The group lamented what it described as “a state of indifference” regarding crimes in Syria and Iraq, urging regional and international parties to take action to check the violence and secure the release of the bishops.
The patriarchs of Oriental churches, led by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, sounded the alarm last month over the persisting persecution of Christians at the hands of ISIS, who have captured large swaths of land in north Iraq and Syria and forced non-Muslims to convert to Islam or face death and persecution.
The patriarchs called on the international community to intervene militarily in Iraq and Syria to curb the militants and protect Christians who had fled their homes in the face of rampant ISIS violence.
NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Officials at the historic Eola Hotel in Natchez say the hotel has not been sold — despite what some callers to the hotel management might think.
Eola manager Ron Brumfield said he received calls from residents Friday asking if the hotel had been sold.
Brumfield told the Natchez Democrat (http://bit.ly/1qG0Mzh) that the calls likely were prompted by the sight of employees moving items out of the hotel into a moving truck.
Brumfield said the items belong to owner Bob Dean of Baton Rouge, who is moving some of his personal antiques to a different property.
Brumfield said the downtown hotel has been listed for sale for five years. But he said he was not aware of any current prospective buyers.
"The hotel has not been sold, and it's not closing," Brumfield said. "There are some items he wanted to move to a property somewhere else, and we're going to do some work in a couple of areas where the stuff is being moved from."
Glenn Green of Paul Green & Associates, who is handling the sale of the property, said there has been "some interest" in the property, but would not comment on a specific buyer or if a sale was being finalized.
In Natchez, Dean owns the hotel, the Natchez Eola Guest House and the Prentiss Club.
Dean restored the 131-room hotel back to its original elegance after purchasing it in 1998.
The Eola has operated as a hotel under the same name since opening in 1927.
PARIS -- A Frenchman convicted in one of history's largest trading fraud cases has emerged from a prison south of Paris on conditional release before being equipped with an electronic bracelet to monitor his movements.
Jerome Kerviel left France's Fleury-Merogis prison, where he was held apart from other inmates, and said Monday he was "super happy" about the release. He will have freedom of movement on weekends and during the day on weekdays.
Kerviel cost Societe Generale 4.9 billion euros ($7 billion at the time) in losses in 2008, just as the global financial crisis was growing. He claims the bank had quietly welcomed his unauthorized trades when they made money, but turned against him when they turned sour.
Kerviel said he would "fight" to try to prove wrongdoing by the bank.
ISIS fighters appear to be using captured U.S. military issue arms and weapons supplied to moderate rebels in Syria by...
BEIRUT: Lebanese public schools are unable to accommodate the number of refugee students seeking enrollment this year, giving priority to the Lebanese, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab said, adding that he had drafted a plan to accommodate 100,000 refugees.
“We allowed Lebanese parents to enroll their children in schools first to prevent problems and to preserve Lebanese people's rights in securing a seat for their children,” Bou Saab told An-Nahar, referring to a decree he issued in August restricting registration to Lebanese students for a certain period.
“There are 400,000 refugee students seeking school enrollment. If we had allowed them to register with the Lebanese, almost half of Lebanese students would be left out of school.”
He said the ministry had extended the deadline for Lebanese students to enroll to the end of this week.
“The number of Lebanese students in public schools, according to last year’s numbers, is 275,000 while the number of refugee students is 400,000. Our schools can only accommodate 300,000 students in total.”
Despite measures to open new schools and extend school hours to accommodate refugees from Syria, Iraq and Palestine, Bou Saab said schools were only able to enroll 100,000 non-Lebanese students, which cost the state $200 million.
"I will allow refugee students to enroll in schools as soon as Lebanese students' registration period ends,” he said, adding that the government could not pay the annual tuition of additional refugee students.
"Each refugee student costs the government over $1,500 [annually], and we paid between $150-$200 million for 100,000 refugee students last year," he said.
Bou Saab said it would cost the government some $600 million to cover the next three years for refugee students.
Bou Saab spoke of a plan approved by the Cabinet to garner international funds to help cover the cost of refugee students.
“There is an approved plan the ministry had prepared estimated to cost $200 million for an additional 100,000 refugee students to be funded by international organizations. ... Half of the needed amount was secured.”
HOUMA, La. -- The Houma Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau is accepting applications for grants under its tourism festivals marketing program.
The Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1uBQot8) representatives of festivals or other events in Terrebonne Parish who apply must show the activity is expected to attract out-of-parish visitors to Terrebonne.
The events must be scheduled between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015.
Application deadline is Oct. 31.
More details on the program are available by contacting Sondra Corbitt at 985-868-2732 or sondra.corbitt@houmatravel.com.
TENNIS
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams ended a difficult-for-her Grand Slam season in the best way possible, winning her third consecutive U.S. Open championship and 18th major title overall.
And like each of her matches at Flushing Meadows the past two weeks, the final wasn't close at all — a 6-3, 6-3 victory over good friend Caroline Wozniacki that lasted only 75 minutes Sunday.
Williams equaled Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 Grand Slam singles titles, the fourth-most in history. Williams also matched Evert's total of six championships at the U.S. Open and became the first woman to win three in a row since Evert's four-title run from 1975-78.
Not only did Williams, ranked and seeded No. 1, win all 14 sets she played in the tournament, she never even dropped more than three games in any of them.
NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Federer could not pull off another big escape at the U.S. Open, losing 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals Saturday against Croatia's Marin Cilic.
It was the second significant surprise of the day, coming after Novak Djokovic was beaten 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 by Japan's Kei Nishikori, who became the first man from Asia to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
Instead of the No. 1-seeded Djokovic against the No. 2-seeded Federer — who have combined to win 24 major championships — in Monday's final, it will be No. 10 Nishikori against No. 14 Cilic, neither of whom has ever appeared in a Grand Slam title match.
GOLF
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) — The bad swing a week ago is a distant memory. The blown lead Sunday — that wasn't enough to derail Billy Horschel, either.
Horschel let a three-shot lead drop to nothing early in the final round of the BMW Championship before rebounding for a two-stroke victory over Bubba Watson.
Horschel shot a 1-under 69 and finished at 14-under 266 to put himself in prime position for the FedEx Cup title and its $10 million bonus at the Tour Championship next week.
Horschel heads into the final week of the playoff chase in second place in the points standings thanks to the victory and his tie for second a week ago.
The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings advanced to the finale in Atlanta.
QUEBEC CITY (AP) — Wes Short Jr. made an 8-foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the Quebec Championship for his first Champions Tour's title.
The 51-year-old Short played the final 10 holes in 8 under for an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke victory over Scott Dunlap in the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the area since 1956.
Dunlap, the Boeing Classic winner two weeks ago, also eagled the par-5 18th for a 64.
Short finished at 15-under 201 at La Tempete and earned $240,000 to jump from 36th to 20th on the money list with $379,719. He won in Las Vegas in 2005 for his lone PGA Tour title.
AUTO RACING
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Brad Keselowski routed the field Saturday night for his fourth win of the season, a victory that gives him the top seed in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Keselowski led all but 17 of the 400 laps at Richmond International Raceway, where the last race of the regular season never shaped up to be the thriller NASCAR hoped. A new win-and-in format this year could have created a dramatic final push for a driver to make the Chase, but nobody had anything for Keselowski. Now he'll try to give Team Penske a season sweep — Will Power gave the organization the IndyCar championship a week ago.
Jeff Gordon, the points leader for much of the regular season, finished second. Clint Bowyer, who needed to win to guarantee his Chase berth, was a disappointing third.
Tony Stewart, in his second race back since he sat out three after his sprint car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. at a New York dirt track, finished 15th. He needed to win to earn a spot in the Chase.
BASEBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — Standing on the field with a microphone, the end of his baseball career likely three weeks away, Derek Jeter remained as cool and collected as his play at shortstop over the past two decades.
The New York Yankees honored their retiring captain Sunday with a 45-minute pregame ceremony that included surprise appearances by NBA great Michael Jordan and baseball ironman Cal Ripken Jr.
Reserved as always and with no hints of tears, Jeter thanked people a dozen times as he spoke to a capacity crowd of 48,110 at Yankee Stadium for about 3 minutes before a 2-0 loss to Kansas City further damaged New York's slim playoff chances.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — After impressive performances in two of the young season's most attractive nonconference showdowns, Oregon jumps to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll behind No. 1 Florida State — and ahead of No. 3 Alabama — and Virginia Tech vaults into the rankings at No. 17.
The Ducks pulled away late from Michigan State on Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene to beat the Spartans 46-27. Oregon receives 16 first-place votes from the media panel.
Florida State has 38 first-place votes.
Alabama slipped one spot. No. 4 Oklahoma receives two first-place votes. No. 5 Auburn, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Texas A&M give the Southeastern Conference four of the top seven.
Michigan State slipped six spots to 13th.
PRO BASKETBALL
ATLANTA (AP) — Less than one month after the Clippers' sale ended Donald Sterling's ugly downfall, another NBA team is on the market following a racially charged disclosure from its owner.
Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson said Sunday he is selling his controlling interest in the team, thanks in part to an inflammatory email he wrote two years ago. Levenson said he wrote the email in an attempt "to bridge Atlanta's racial sports divide." Instead, he offered his divisive comments, including his theory that Hawks black fans kept white fans away.
Levenson said he regrets the email sent to the team's co-owners and general manager Danny Ferry in 2012 as "inappropriate and offensive." In a statement released by the team, Levenson said he sent the email due to his concerns about low attendance and a need to attract suburban whites.
He says he later realized the email made it seem white fans were more important. He voluntarily reported the email to the NBA.
