Defecting Syrian envoy now in Qatar-Iraqi minister

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/defecting-syrian-ambassador-now-qatar-iraqi-minister-100524928.html

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China boosts state firms as entrepreneurs struggle

ZHANJIANG, China (AP) ? Reformers say China needs more entrepreneurs like Liu Peijian. His chain of six furniture stores employs 60 people. But Beijing's response to the deepest economic slump since the 2008 crisis is to pump money into state industry, leaving businesspeople like Liu who create jobs to fend for themselves.

Across town from Liu's office is a project that exemplifies China's mini-stimulus: A 69.6 billion yuan ($11 billion steel) mill being built by a government company and financed by state-owned banks that lend little to the private sector. It will employ 5,000 people ? or one job for each $2.2 million of investment.

"We get no government help," said Liu, as his office air conditioner struggled against the muggy heat of this southern city. "But we're a small company, and small companies shouldn't bother the government."

Spending like that of Baosteel Group, owner of the Zhanjiang mill, is expected to help push up economic growth later this year. But the emphasis on state industry that creates few jobs will come at a longer-term cost, setting back efforts to reduce reliance on investment and generate self-sustaining growth powered by consumer spending.

The strategy will further entrench subsidy-guzzling government companies that dominate industries from oil to telecoms. That might hamper reforms the World Bank and others say are needed to keep the economy growing by curbing state industry and nurturing free-market competition and more dynamic private companies.

"When the economy gets into trouble, all those good intentions get thrown out the window, and we revert to Plan A, which is always to encourage more investment and ensure that funds keep flowing to state-owned companies," said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist for Capital Economics.

Beijing has cut interest rates twice since the start of June and reduced fuel prices as it tries to buoy growth that declined to 8.1 percent in the first quarter. It has promised more spending on low-cost housing, airports and other public works. That will pour money into state-owned construction companies and suppliers of steel and cement.

Baosteel's Zhanjiang mill is one of a series of industrial projects the government approved in May as stimulus measures after previously blocking them to prevent overinvestment in unneeded facilities. State-owned Wuhan Iron & Steel Group also received approval for a new mill state media say will cost more than 60 billion yuan ($9.5 billion).

Both are to be financed by state banks, which still channel at least 80 percent of lending to state companies despite China's three decades of market-oriented reforms and the growth of private business that has driven its economic boom.

Leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao have promised to help the private sector with more bank lending and other measures, but entrepreneurs say they have yet to see changes.

"I have never been able to get a bank loan," said Deng Mingxin, owner of a company in Changshu, a city northwest of Shanghai, that makes components for zippers. He said state companies appear to get credit easily while bank employees expect bribes to approve loans for private borrowers.

Deng's workforce has shrunk by two-thirds to 10 people over the past six months as employees left after wage hikes of up to 30 percent failed to keep pace with rising living costs. He said he is considering moving to lower-cost Vietnam.

"I am disappointed at the situation in China," he said. "This is unfair."

Today's state companies and their relationship to the private sector have changed drastically from the era of central planning.

Beijing cut back state industry in the late 1990s, wiping out tens of millions of jobs. Then a new generation of leaders began in 2005 to build up elite companies such as oil giant PetroChina Ltd., phone carrier China Mobile Ltd. and Bank of China Ltd. to control industries deemed strategic.

State companies benefit from monopolies, low-cost bank loans, free land and other favors. Instead of competing with private companies, state firms extract money from them by controlling access to oil, electric power, phone service and other essential resources.

Communist leaders say China needs big companies that can compete globally. But the system also serves a political goal by providing a source of jobs and money to reward the party's supporters and keep it in power in a rapidly changing society.

Beijing's 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus in response to the 2008 crisis added to the growth of state industry. Government-owned construction and other enterprises received the bulk of that while thousands of small manufacturers and other private companies went bankrupt.

State industry growth also has been driven by official directives that say companies in steel, energy and other industries deemed strategic must have at least 50 percent government ownership. In some cases, private entities were forced into being acquired by state companies.

Estimates of the portion of the economy controlled by non-private companies range from 30 percent to as much as 50 percent if entities such as worker cooperatives are included.

State industry's vast wealth ? and high pay for executives who are political appointees, not risk-taking entrepreneurs ? is fueling public resentment.

The top tier of 119 state companies directly controlled by the Cabinet received subsidies worth an estimated 7.5 trillion yuan ($1.2 trillion) in 2001-09 in the form of low-cost land, bank loans and other resources, according to the Unirule Institute of Economic Research, an independent group in Beijing.

"People are gradually becoming aware that state-owned enterprises are inefficient and unfair institutions that occupy the people's resources to serve their own circle," said Unirule director Sheng Hong.

"The high levels of government and the ruling party increasingly recognize this," Sheng said. "On the other hand, state-owned enterprises are a huge interest group. They have a lot of political influence and money."

Zhanjiang, in Guangdong province, the heart of China's export-driven manufacturing industries, reflects the conflict between the Communist Party's need for a robust private sector and its determination to build up state-owned companies.

The backbone of the local economy is private factories that employ thousands of people making furniture and traditional Chinese medicines or processing seafood.

Liu, who named his company Yi Pian Hong after a 1960s postage stamp that shows communist radicals holding aloft Mao Zedong's Little Red Book, expects this year's sales to be comparable to 2011. That is better than some competitors, but below the 20 to 40 percent annual growth his 5-year-old company is used to. The company pays for its financing needs out of revenues or credit from suppliers.

"Certainly, it's hard to get a bank loan," Liu said.

At another furniture company, a manager said sales might be down 10 percent due to government curbs on housing sales that were imposed to cool surging prices. He asked not to be identified by name because he was not authorized to speak for his company.

The local branch of China's central bank said a survey of small businesses in Zhanjiang found 90 percent reported cash shortages or trouble credit.

Despite the prominence of private industry in Guangdong, only 12 percent of its bank lending goes to entrepreneurs, according to a speech by the province's deputy party secretary, Zhu Mingguo, reported by a party newspaper.

"The bigger state-owned companies can stay afloat because they have access to finance, and that means that they have a huge competitive advantage," said Williams. " So whether it just involves them taking market share or outright taking over the smaller firms, the result is, they come out the other end in a much stronger position."

___(equals)

AP researchers Zhao Liang in Beijing and Fu Ting in Shanghai contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-boosts-state-firms-entrepreneurs-struggle-081323096--finance.html

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Zimmerman released on bail under stricter terms

In this still image taken from video, George Zimmerman leaves the Seminole County Jail after posting bail, Friday, July 6, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman left the Seminole County Jail a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted a $1 million bail with strict conditions. The neighborhood watch leader is required to stay in Seminole County. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law. (AP Photo/Mike Lewis)

In this still image taken from video, George Zimmerman leaves the Seminole County Jail after posting bail, Friday, July 6, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman left the Seminole County Jail a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted a $1 million bail with strict conditions. The neighborhood watch leader is required to stay in Seminole County. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law. (AP Photo/Mike Lewis)

George Zimmerman enters the courtroom before he appears before Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. Friday, June 29, 2012, during a bond hearing at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.(AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

FILE -In this Friday, June 29, 2012 file photo, George Zimmerman, left, and attorney Don West appear before Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. during a bond hearing at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford, Fla. A Florida judge on Thursday, July 5, 2012, granted bond for a second time to George Zimmerman. Bail was set at $1 million. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon Martin, speaks next to the Rev. Al Sharpton, left, Javaris Fulton, and Attorney Daryl D. Parks, in New Orleans, La., Friday, July 6, 2012. Sybrina Fulton the mother of Trayvon Martin, says she was disappointed by a Florida judge's decision to give George Zimmerman another chance at posting bond and leaving prison before trial. A judge granted Zimmerman bond Thursday for a second time, setting it at $1 million. His previous $150,000 bond was revoked after prosecutors presented evidence that he had misled the court about his finances. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Benjamin L. Crump , attorney for the Trayvon Martin family speaks next to the Rev. Al Sharpton, far left, Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin, and Attorney Daryl D. Parks at the Hyatt Hotel in New Orleans, La., Friday, July 6, 2012. Fulton says she was disappointed by a Florida judge's decision to give George Zimmerman another chance at posting bond and leaving prison before trial. A judge granted Zimmerman bond Thursday for a second time, setting it at $1 million. His previous $150,000 bond was revoked after prosecutors presented evidence that he had misled the court about his finances. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? George Zimmerman is out of jail again, but the rules have changed since the last time he was released on bail after being charged in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

When he was freed in April, Zimmerman was allowed to leave Florida ? his ultimate destination kept secret by his attorneys for his safety. He had a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and couldn't have any guns, but beyond that Zimmerman enjoyed many of the freedoms of people not facing a murder charge.

Now a judge who believes Zimmerman misled the court about his finances is requiring him to stay in Seminole County. He also must be electronically monitored, can't open a bank account, obtain a passport or set foot on the grounds of the local airport. He has a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

Still, one of Zimmerman's attorneys said his client is "very happy to be out."

"Certainly it's been a sobering experience spending the last month in jail in that kind of environment," Don West, one of Zimmerman's attorneys, told reporters outside the jail Friday.

Zimmerman will stay in a "safe house" before relocating to a permanent home, and he has hired a security team, according to information posted on a website run by his legal team.

The former neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin, an unarmed black teenager whom he encountered and fought with while patrolling his community in February.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set Zimmerman's bail at $1 million, and Zimmerman walked out of Seminole County Jail on Friday wearing a white shirt and dress jacket and got into an SUV, ignoring shouted questions from nearby reporters.

Zimmerman had been released on a $150,000 bond in April in the shooting, but the judge revoked it last month after prosecutors presented evidence that Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had available to pay for the bond. They didn't tell the judge that donations from a website for Zimmerman's legal defense had raised around $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing.

Prosecutors argued Zimmerman and his wife talked in code during recorded jailhouse conversations about how to transfer the donations to different bank accounts. For example, George Zimmerman at one point asked how much money they had. She replied "$155." Prosecutors allege that was code for $155,000. Their reference to "Peter Pan" was code for the PayPal system through which the donations were made, prosecutors said.

Shellie Zimmerman faces arraignment at the end of July on a perjury charge; she is free on bond.

Zimmerman's attorneys said Thursday that there was $211,000 in an account, which included the amount raised from Zimmerman's website and also money generated from another website set up by his legal team. An additional $20,000 was raised in the day after Lester issued the $1 million bond order.

Zimmerman had to pay a bond company $100,000 but also needed $1 million in collateral to secure the bail, his legal team said.

West refused to comment on what was being used as collateral after Zimmerman left the jail.

"We worked that out," West said.

Shortly before Zimmerman's release, the Rev. Al Sharpton criticized Zimmerman for raising money through online donations. The civil rights leader and talk-show host was in New Orleans with Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.

"Now we see where they're soliciting money, saying, 'If you would have done the same thing, send money to help with his bond,' showing no remorse over the loss of human life," Sharpton said.

Court documents show that Zimmerman's parents are using their house as security for the bond. But Zimmerman likely didn't put up $1 million worth of collateral because the amount can be negotiated with the bond company and the insurance company backing the bond, said David Engel, an Orlando-area bail bondsman.

"Do they have a $1 million worth of collateral? I'm sure they don't," Engel said. "There's nothing set in stone regarding what we have to take. It's up to us what we decide between us and the insurance companies."

During Zimmerman's second bond hearing, his attorney, Mark O'Mara, said that his client was confused, fearful and experienced a moment of weakness when he and his wife misled the court.

The judge didn't buy it and expressed his unhappiness with Zimmerman and his wife in his second bond order. He accused Zimmerman of making plans to flee to avoid prosecution, misleading O'Mara by not disclosing the money from the website and trying to manipulate the judicial system.

"Under any definition, the defendant has flaunted the system," Lester wrote.

But the judge said current law limited his ability to deny a second application for bond.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law. Zimmerman and Martin got into an altercation last February inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla.

Martin's parents and supporters claim that the unarmed teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

___

Cain Burdeau in New Orleans contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-07-Neighborhood%20Watch/id-dcd87665cfe24d3686d04a00bd9c5024

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Air France pilots 'lost control'

5 July 2012 Last updated at 16:02 ET

Author M R Hall said the pilots "did not know if they were climbing or descending"

A combination of technical failure and human error led to the loss of an Air France flight over the Atlantic in June 2009 and 228 deaths, according to the final report into the crash.

The report by the French aviation authority highlights faults with the Airbus 330's air-speed sensors which confused the pilots.

But it also points to inappropriate action by them.

The jet disappeared in a storm while flying to Paris from Rio de Janeiro.

'Total loss of control'

The BEA aviation authority said that the disaster began with the malfunctioning of speed sensors known as Pitots during a period of heavy turbulence.

Continue reading the main story

Air France Flight 447

• Airbus A330-200 travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on 1 June 2009
• People of dozens of different nationalities on board
• Disappeared two hours into journey
• Wreckage found over a wide area of the Atlantic
• All on board - 216 passengers and 12 crew - killed
• Worst disaster in Air France history

The captain was taking a rest break and the co-pilots were in control at the time. The captain returned to the flight deck but was unable to reverse the catastrophic course of events which saw the plane stall and plunge into the sea.

One of the mistakes of the crew was to point the nose of the aircraft upwards after it stalled, instead of down.

"The crew was in a state of almost total loss of control of the situation," BEA chief investigator Alain Bouillard told journalists on Thursday at the release of the final report.

They never understood that the plane was in a stall as it descended at 11,000ft (3,352m) per minute, he added.

And BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec said: "This accident results from an aeroplane being taken out of its normal operating environment by a crew that had not understood the situation."

The report makes 25 new safety recommendations on top of the 25 called for in a preliminary report last year.

Investigator-in-charge Alain Bouillard: ''The crew was in a state of almost total loss of control of the situation''

These include better pilot training and improvements to plane warning systems.

"If the BEA thought that this accident was only down to the crew, we would not have made recommendations about the systems, the training... which means that this accident could no doubt have happened to other crews," Mr Troadec added.

In response, Airbus said in a statement that it would "take all measures to contribute to this collective effort towards optimising air safety".

Air France defended its pilots, saying they had responded to confused and conflicting information, including multiple warnings and alarms, aerodynamic noises and vibrations.

"In this degraded environment, the crew, combining the competence of the captain and two co-pilots, remained fully engaged in flying the plane until the last moments," the airline said.

Relatives of some victims say they view the report as more impartial than earlier conclusions that blamed the pilots alone.

Manslaughter claims

Both Air France and Airbus are under investigation by French magistrates for alleged manslaughter.

A separate judicial report will be released next week. This is also expected to echo Thursday's report by the BEA, the French news agency AFP says.

Since the crash, Air France has replaced the speed sensors on its fleet of Airbus jets - made by the French firm Thales - with a newer model.

The wreckage of the plane was discovered after a long search of 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) of sea floor.

After 23 months of searching, robot submarines finally found the flight "black box" recorders last year.

The final minutes of Flight AF447

1. 0135 GMT: The crew informs the controller of the flight's location

2. 0159-0206 GMT: The co-pilot warns of turbulence ahead before the captain leaves the cockpit for a rest break

3. 0208 GMT: The plane turns left, diverting from the planned route. Turbulence increases

4. 0210 GMT: The auto-pilot and auto-thrust mechanisms disengage. The plane rolls to the right. The co-pilot attempts to raise the nose. The stall warning sounds twice and the plane's speed drops. The co-pilot calls the captain

5. 0210 GMT: The stall warning sounds again. The plane climbs to 38,000ft

6. 0211-0213 GMT: The captain re-enters the cockpit. The plane is flying at 35,000 ft but is descending 10,000 ft per minute. The co-pilot says "I don't have any more indications", pulls the nose down and the stall warning sounds again

After location 6. 02:14 GMT: Recordings stop

Source: BEA. Note: Last known position = last known position before the plane's "black boxes" were retrieved

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18720915#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Brooks: Thunder job is "where I wanted to be"

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks answers a question during a news conference, Wednesday, June 20, 2012, in Miami. The Thunder are scheduled to play Game 5 against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks answers a question during a news conference, Wednesday, June 20, 2012, in Miami. The Thunder are scheduled to play Game 5 against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks watches action against the Miami Heat during the first half at Game 5 of the NBA finals basketball series, Thursday, June 21, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Scott Brooks always believed he would be back as the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, even as his previous contract was surprisingly allowed to expire following the NBA Finals.

There were rumors that he would be replaced by 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy ? which general manager Sam Presti discarded as "rubbish" ? but Brooks remained confident.

"I knew it would work out," Brooks said Tuesday at a news conference to formally announce the deal he signed a day earlier. "This is where I wanted to be. This is the best situation for me. I couldn't ask for a better place to coach, to live, and I'm excited about the opportunity ahead of me."

Brooks reportedly now has a four-year deal worth more than $4 million annually, but the team isn't releasing the terms.

Brooks has built the Thunder into a championship contender since taking over around Thanksgiving 2008. The team had won just one of its first 13 games after relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. It went 23-59 that season, but improved enough to make the playoffs the next season, then the Western Conference finals the next season and then the NBA Finals this past season.

"Sam and I met before the season and he said, 'NBA Finals or adios,' so he put a lot of pressure on me," Brooks said in jest.

Presti said he values Brooks' experience in being with the franchise during the tough times. Brooks was an assistant during a rocky final season in Seattle, and made the transition to head coach during a dreadful 3-29 start to the 2008-09 season.

Since taking over, he has insisted that his players work hard through success and failure, and he has used his experience as an 11-year NBA veteran to guide his youthful roster.

"I believe in players. I believe that you have to figure out ways to get them better and you have to look at their weaknesses and address their weaknesses but you don't focus on all of their weaknesses. You improve those areas but then you bring it all together," Brooks said. "I've always felt the best coaches that I've had are the ones that empowered me to think that I was a little bit better than I was. I've always felt that if you're able to do that, the players are going to give you more than they think they can give you."

After the Thunder largely wiped the slate clean following the franchise's relocation, Brooks' impact has been even more pronounced.

"I think his contributions are enormous. We wouldn't be in this situation, where we feel really good about our future, without him," Presti said. "He's got a great understanding of the organization and a big part of that is because he's helped construct it."

Still, it was startling for the same general manager who was waiting on Kevin Durant's doorstep for the moment he was allowed to offer him a maximum contract extension ? even with a year left on his rookie deal ? to allow his head coach to briefly become a free agent.

"It would have probably gotten done earlier if we didn't make the playoffs or went (out in) the first round," Brooks said, "but it was a good problem to have."

By the time Oklahoma City's season was over, there were only eight days left to negotiate a new contract.

"When the season ended, we could really put all of our attention on it. I feel like we got it done fairly expeditiously but ... sometimes these things take time," Presti said. "There's a lot more conversation that has to happen in order to make it come to fruition."

Now that Brooks is locked up, Presti can turn his attention to the roster. Veterans Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey are all unrestricted free agents while Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, NBA blocks leader Serge Ibaka and backup point guard Eric Maynor are all eligible for contract extensions.

"We've got a lot of things obviously on our plate," Presti said. "Scott and I have had some really good discussions about just the team and the things that are really important to us going forward roster-wise and organizationally. ... We obviously are going to start having conversations with James and Serge and efforts to try to figure their situations out.

"The NBA offseason is definitely a marathon and not a sprint."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-03-Thunder-Brooks/id-e77336b6b44840348f45c4a47da5bcc5

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Spain wins again, beating Italy 4-0 at Euro 2012

Spain's David Silva scores a goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Spain's David Silva scores a goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Spain's Jordi Alba celebrates their second goal with teammates during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final against Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque, left, kicks the ball as Italy's Federico Balzaretti tries to take a throw-in during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Italy's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon reacts after Spain's David Silva, left, scored the opening goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon make a save in front of Spain's Cesc Fabregas during the Euro 2012 soccer championship final between Spain and Italy in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, July 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) ? The defense was impenetrable. The offense was unstoppable. Simply put, it was another Spanish party on the international stage.

Spain won its third straight major soccer title Sunday, routing Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final and making it look all too easy.

David Silva and Jordi Alba scored first-half goals, and substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata added two more in the final minutes as the Spanish passing game worked its magic against the Italians at the Olympic Stadium.

Silva headed in a high shot in the 14th minute off a pass from Cesc Fabregas. And Alba added another in the 41st, picking up a beautiful through ball from Xavi Hernandez and shooting past Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Torres, who came on for Fabregas in the 75th minute, added the third goal with an easy finish and Mata really put the game away in the 88th, knocking in a pass from Torres.

"They were a great rival, but we took control of the game as time went by," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said.

Spain won the Euro 2008 title four years ago in Vienna and followed that up with the World Cup title in Johannesburg two years ago.

"They had made history before, and I could now," said Alba, who has played only nine matches for Spain. "I don't believe it but little by little it is sinking in."

Torres also scored the lone goal in the 1-0 win over Germany in 2008, making him the first man to score in two European Championship finals.

Not only has Spain won every knockout game since losing to France in the second round of the 2006 World Cup, but goalkeeper Iker Casillas hasn't allowed a goal in that 10-game span. The last player to beat him is such an important match was Zinedine Zidane, and he retired after that tournament.

Sunday's win was a record 100th for Casillas in international soccer.

Spain was the favorite heading into the match, but also seemed primed for a loss after being held to a 1-1 draw by the Italians in their opening Group C match. Spain, which has been experimenting with a lineup that excludes a recognized striker, needed a penalty shootout to reach the final after a 0-0 tie with Portugal in the semifinals.

The controversial lineup, which Del Bosque again employed on Sunday, is akin to playing in the Super Bowl without a running back. Sure, you can still score touchdowns, but you give up on the chance for a game-breaking play.

Spain did just fine without the strikers, but they did even better when Torres came on. Although he has struggled both for Spain and Chelsea recently ? and was relegated to the bench for four of the six games at Euro 2012 ? Torres came on Sunday and made a difference.

But as good as the play was up front for Spain, it was the steady hands of Casillas at the back that likely preserved the victory.

Casillas made a point-blank save on a shot from Antonio Di Natale at the start of the second half, and twice tipped crosses out of danger just before the Italians could get their heads to the ball.

With every save, and of course with every goal, the huge group of Spain supporters cheered and screamed. The red-shirted fans dominated one corner of the stadium, filling up more than six sections of the Olympic Stadium. On the opposite side, the blue-clad Italians were far outnumbered, with dozens of empty yellow seats poking through the mass of supporters.

The political aspect of the game involved several heads of state. Italian Premier Mario Monti, along with other EU leaders, had said they would not travel to Ukraine for the tournament because of the politically tainted jailing of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. But that didn't stop him from attending the final in Kiev.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also attended the match, and got to watch as his players celebrated with confetti and fireworks when they lifted yet another major trophy.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-01-SOC-Euro-2012-Final/id-2bf9913de94e41559cbff521598be5e6

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