Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard follows through on his hit for a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning.
Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard follows through on his hit for a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning.

Howard ends Pirates bid with late homer



As it looked increasingly tight for the Phillies against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, the United States Vice President Joe Biden made a prediction - Ryan Howard will hit a homer. Howard did just that in the ninth inning - belting a 420ft, three-run shot to left-centre field to tie the game for Philadelphia.

Raul Ibanez then doubled, and two batters later, Paul Bako singled him home to cap off an improbable comeback, with the scoreline reading 8-7 in Philadelphia's favour. The Phillies scored five in the ninth off Pirates closer Matt Capps to beat the Bucs, 8-7, in front of 45,210 fans. "It was incredible," said Biden, wearing a Phillies cap and posing for a picture with Howard after the game. "I loved it. You know, the thing about the Phillies is, you never gave up."

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers took advantage of a first-inning error to get to Los Angeles Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver early en route to a 6-3 win at Miller Park. After Craig Counsell hit a triple, he should have been thrown out at home trying to score on Ryan Braun's ground ball to shortstop Rafael Furcal, but Furcal threw the ball past catcher Russell Martin to allow Counsell to score.

Braun reached second on the error and scored moments later on Prince Fielder's single. Weaver then served up a home run ball to Frank Catalanotto, and was charged with his fourth run on Mike Burns's RBI single. Back-to-back home runs from Furcal and Andre Ethier got the Dodgers within one, but the Brewers scored twice in the eighth to make sure. The Brewers have closed the gap atop the National League Central back to two games after the division-leading St Louis Cardinals went down 5-2 to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Ted Lilly, the Cubs' lone All-Star this season a year after they had eight, collected his 100th major league victory as he held the Cardinals to four hits over eight innings, giving up one run. He was handed a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Cardinals starter Brad Thompson loaded the bases and then hit Milton Bradley with a pitch to force in the first. Jeff Baker followed with a two-run single. The win was crucial for the Cubs as they bid to stay in touch with the Cardinals, who are three and a half games ahead.

Pablo Sandoval's 15th home run of the season helped the San Francisco Giants overcome the early loss of starter Matt Cain to beat the San Diego Padres 2-1. Cain took a Tim Stauffer line drive off his pitching elbow in the second inning and left the game with what the team described as a bruise. The injury could prevent him from taking up his place on the All-Star team. But Justin Miller stepped in to pitch three and one third scoreless innings in relief, and got the support of Sandoval's second home run in as many days - a two-run blast that scored Randy Winn and provided all the offence San Francisco would need.

The New York Mets gambled that a change of scenery could get Jeff Francoeur back to his best, and Friday's trade with the Atlanta Braves paid some early dividends as the outfielder drove in two in a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. With Johan Santana shutting out the Reds over seven innings, Francoeur did the damage when he came up with the bases loaded and hit a single. * With agencies

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Try out the test yourself

Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

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New Zealand T20 squad

New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young 

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press

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