Stoner wins Catalunya GP

BARCELONA, Spain- Casey Stoner won the Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday for his third victory in the Moto GP championship this season.

The 2007 world champion overtook Jorge Lorenzo on the first lap and never looked back as the Australian's Honda proved too fast to catch on the 4.727-kilometer (2.937-mile) Catalunya circuit.

"Jorge got off to a good start and I had to wait until the end of the first lap to overtake him and then he couldn't stay with me, fortunately," said Stoner, who won in 43 minutes, 19.779 seconds.

Lorenzo was second, 2.403 seconds behind.

"I knew Casey was going to have a fast start and I tried to keep up with him", said Lorenzo. "But we earned 20 points."

After five races, defending champion Lorenzo holds a seven-point lead over Stoner.

Casey Stoner holds up his trophy after winning the Spain Motorcycling Moto GP at the Montmelo racetrack on Sunday.

Lorenzo also wished hometown favorite Dani Pedrosa a quick recovery from a broken collarbone he suffered after a collision with Italian rider Marco Simoncelli in the previous France GP.

"Dani, you're a great pilot and we all hope you recover as soon as possible," Lorenzo told Spanish national television after the race.

American rider Ben Spies came in third, 4.291 seconds off the pace, for his first podium of the season.

In the Moto2 category, Stefan Bradl of Germany dominated an accident-plagued race in 41 minutes, 38.888 seconds for his third win of the season. Marc Marquez was second, 4.141 seconds behind, with fellow Spaniard Aleix Espargaro third, 8.409 seconds behind, for the first podium of his career.

Spanish rider Julian Simon broke his leg when he crashed midway through the race and was taken to hospital.

In the 125cc class, Nicolas Terol claimed his fourth race of the season with a time of 42 minutes, 29.647 seconds after Johann Zarco, who crossed the finish line first, was penalized 20 seconds for bumping the Spanish rider down the final stretch.

Fellow Spaniard Maverick Vinales, cheered on by team sponsor Paris Hilton, was runner up 10.356 seconds behind while Jonas Volger of Germany finished 15.260 seconds back in third.

Playboy bunnies seen in London again

He may be 85 but Hugh Hefner is proving there's life in the old dog yet - by reopening London's Playboy Club.

It is 30 years since the gentlemen's club closed but Hefner is convinced the UK is ready for good old-fashioned glamour again.

The new club in Old Park Lane in London's West End opens tonight and is billed as an "adult's playground", boasting a casino, restaurant and, of course, gorgeous waitresses in bunny costumes.

The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960 - but the London launch in 1966 changed the game.
Known as 45 Park Lane, it was run by Hefner's then right-hand man Victor Lownes.

It was popular with celebrities including Woody Allen, Sir Michael Caine, George Best and Jack Nicholson and it was also the world's most profitable casino, raking in £20million in 1981. However, that year, Lownes was wrongly accused of irregularities by British gaming authorities.

Hefner sacked Lownes but the gaming licence was revoked and the London club closed. Over the next ten years his other clubs shut.

The company has long since recovered but it is hoped the worldwide return of Playboy Clubs will breathe new life into one of the planet's most recognisable brands.

But not everyone is happy to see it back. Members of Object, a women's campaign group, will protest outside the club today, claiming the bunny girl image is demeaning to women.

But Playmate Of The Year 2011 Claire Sinclair, 20, argues: "It will be great for London to have the Playboy Club back. It has been too long."

Sports Exclusive: Li Na turns from badminton to Grand Slam champion

PARIS (AP) - If China's 1.3 billion people want to thank someone for their country's first Grand Slam singles title, they can say "merci" to Li Na's former badminton coach.

The 29-year-old Li became the first from her country to win a major tennis title Saturday when she beat defending champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the French Open final.

"My dad wanted me to become a badminton champion, that's why he made me play tennis," Li said of her father, who also played badminton. "After two years of training, the badminton coach told me I was not made for badminton and that I should rather play tennis." How right he was.

Li won the final nine points on Court Philippe Chatrier, and then dropped to the ground to celebrate. When she got up, her back covered in clay, she was the last woman standing at Roland Garros.

"I thought about what I should do in such a moment if I became the champion," Li said. "But to fall on the ground at the end of the match was not what I had imagined. It wasn't planned. I just couldn't help it."

The title was only the fifth of Li's career, and first on clay. She was broken only once by the defending champion, while she converted two of her eight break points - one in each set. She finished with 31 winners, while Schiavone had only 12.

"I couldn't really push forward from the baseline," Schiavone said. "She deserved to win. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserves everything."

Li started the year playing well. She won her fourth title in Sydney just before the Australian Open, and then became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final in the year's first major. She lost, however, falling to Kim Clijsters in three sets. This time around, Li was more prepared for the pressure.

"At the Australian Open, it was the first time that I was in the final (of a major). I had no experience. I was very nervous," Li said. "For my second time in a final, I had the experience. I knew how to do it. And I had more self-confidence."
 
In the first set, Li took a 3-2 lead when Schiavone sent a forehand wide. Li then held at love in her next two service games and finally won the set when Schiavone sent a forehand long.

"She (kept) me really far away from the net or inside the court, so I was always too (defensive)," Schiavone said. "With the slice, (it) was not easy because she has good timing and she has good preparation with (her) legs."

Li opened the second set with another break. In the second game, Schiavone earned her first break point of the match, but Li responded with an ace - her third of three in the match.

Schiavone did manage to break back to even the score at 4-4, but both held the rest of the way despite a contentious call in the 12th game.

Li hit a backhand that was originally called out, giving Schiavone a set point. But Li argued the call, and chair umpire Louise Engzell ruled the ball was in.

Li won the next point to even the set at 6-6, and then won all seven points in the tiebreaker.

US EXCLUSIVE: 9 Companies Hiring Now

Please refer to the previous post...
Dear United States citizens, THANK YOU very much for giving your support by visiting this blog frequently... Latest News Station (LNS) has worked out a research on the top companies which are hiring people now and we are going to finally reveal it...

Give us more support by visiting our blog more and we will do more exclusive research and reveal it to you...

LNS EXCLUSIVE DISCOVERY REVEALED!!

(PART 2)

6. Amazon

Amazon did not respond to inquiries for information, but the company is opening two facilities in Tennessee this fall, creating 1,200 jobs, WSMV-TV reports. It also has plans to open a facility in West Virginia, creating 200 jobs by 2014, Bloomberg writes. And a new distribution center in Seattle, where Amazon's headquartered, will also mean more available positions, The Seattle Times reports. On Amazon's website, the online marketplace lists positions open in product management, sales, and software development.

Jobs website: http://amazon.com/careers

7. Wal-Mart

"A lot of people maybe just think of Wal-Mart from the retail aspect," says Jennifer Siedner, the company's senior director of talent acquisition, "but they don't always think of the support functions." That means if you work in human resources or information technology, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant may want you on its payroll. And yes, it's hiring for both full-time and part-time in-store positions, too.

Openings are scattered throughout the country, with information-technology positions clustered at headquarters. But there are pockets of hiring spikes in certain locations, mainly in cities where Wal-Mart has plans to open new stores. In Chicago, a new store opening is expected to create 10,000 jobs over the next five years, as well as 2,000 unionized construction jobs, Siedner says. In Washington, D.C., 1,200 in-store jobs and 400 construction positions are expected to pop up during the next two years. And in South Carolina, where Wal-Mart also plans to open new stores, the company will hire about 4,000 new employees over the next five years.

For managers, proven experience is a must, but it doesn't have to be in the retail industry, Siedner says. "We have several successful associates who have transitioned from other industries, maybe food service, hospitality, even military."

Jobs website: http://walmartstores.com/careers/

8. Facebook

The company declined to talk about employment opportunities, but it lists hundreds of openings on its website. Facebook is looking for recruiters, salespeople, data analysts, engineers, business associates, and more. Palo Alto, Calif., the company's headquarters, boasts most of the openings, but others are scattered throughout the country and the globe. Facebook is known for its perks, including three free meals a day for employees who work at headquarters.

Jobs website: http://www.facebook.com/careers/

9. Medifast

This maker of diet foods has nearly 150 openings nationwide and will likely have even more in the coming months, says Medifast recruiter Zach Wilt. Twenty of those positions are at headquarters in Owings Mills, Md., and others are at weight-loss control centers in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Texas. Medifast is looking for registered dieticians and weight-loss counselors, as well as salespeople and managers.

To impress Medifast's hiring managers, come to the interview with a solid understanding of what the company does, without making the mistake of calling it a healthcare company, Wilt says. And look to interact with the company on its Twitter feed or Facebook page, because both are moderated by the company's recruiters.

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US EXCLUSIVE: 9 Companies Hiring Now

LNS EXCLUSIVE DISCOVERY REVEALED!!

(PART 1)

Targeting companies you want to work for can be an effective job-search strategy, particularly if you make connections with people who already work there. But which companies should you target?

While it's smart to approach your dream company about a job regardless of whether it has advertised openings, it's also a good idea to know which employers are hiring and think about how you might fit in there. Don't make the mistake of looking only in your industry. Especially if you've been unable to find a job for months, brainstorm how your skills could be valuable to companies outside your normal playing field.

To help you think outside your box, here are nine companies hiring right now:

1. Boeing

The company has more then 500 openings and plans to hire a total of 4,000 to 5,000 employees this year, says company spokesman Peter Pedraza. The bulk of those positions are located in the Puget Sound region in Washington, followed by Charleston, S. C., but the company's also hiring at headquarters in Chicago and other facilities throughout the country.

Boeing's looking first and foremost for engineers. It also has openings for skilled technical workers to assemble aircraft, cyber-security and intelligence specialists, and workers with knowledge in business and finance. The company employs a total of about 165,000 people. "We look for individuals who have a passion for technology and innovation," Pedraza says. The company is also hiring about 1,000 interns this year.

Jobs website: www.boeing.com/careers

2. Google

The Internet giant is hiring more employees this year than any other, including its record of 6,000 hires in 2007. It now has about 26,000 employees who work in 60 offices in 30 countries. The majority of Google's open positions are in engineering and sales, but the company is also hiring for its communications, legal, and HR teams. While the bulk of those positions are located at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif, other offices are also growing significantly, including those in Seattle and New York City.
"We're looking for people who are leaders in their schools, their industries, their current companies," says Shannon Deegan, Google's director of central staffing. "We want people that everyone's going to want to work with." They're hiring both new graduates and mid-level employees, Deegan says.

Jobs website: http://google.com/jobs

3. Caterpillar

This construction-equipment manufacturer's worldwide employment was up 19,000 in March compared with March 2010. And it's still hiring. The company is looking to add about 300 people to its payroll, most as production workers in factories, says spokesman Jim Dugan. They're also hiring a significant number of engineers, as well as supporting and management positions, including account and HR support. Based in Peoria, Ill., Caterpillar has a total of 105,000 employees worldwide.

Jobs website: http://www.caterpillar.com/careers

4. Scottrade

This online brokerage firm is looking to make 140 information technology hires by the end of this year. Most of those positions are at the company's headquarters in St. Louis, while others are located outside Denver. Those professionals will work on projects ranging from creating new security standards to updating trading websites to helping with the roll-out of new retail banking products, says Stacey Hattle, Scottrade's director of human resources.

The company has a total of 3,500 employees nationwide, including 450 interns. The intern track is likely to turn into a job; last year, nearly 60 percent of interns who graduated from college were hired for a full-time position. And here's something that's appealing in this post-recession economy: Since its founding in 1980, Scottrade has never had a layoff, Hattle says.

Jobs website: http://careers.scottrade.com/

5. CVS

The pharmacy retailer has about 1,000 positions open nationwide. Hiring managers are looking for people to work in their stores, as well as information technology specialists, data analysts, financial analysts, application developers, pharmacy technicians, and more.
Headquartered in Woonsocket, R.I., CVS is hiring at locations throughout the country. And if you live in upstate New York or want to move there, ask specifically about opportunities in Chemung. The company is hiring 300 people to staff a new distribution center there.

How can you get your foot in the door? "The first thing we look for are folks who have a bent toward customer service," says David Casey, CVS's vice president of workforce strategies and chief diversity officer. "That's whether they're facing external customers or internal customers. We're a company that's focused on service, so that's really our lens (through which we evaluate candidates)."

Jobs website: http://cvs.com/careers

For the balance 4 other awesome companies that are hiring now, please visit Latest News Station tomorrow...

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Adidas to keep sponsoring scandal-hit FIFA

Adidas has agreed to continue sponsoring FIFA despite lingering concerns about the crisis engulfing world football's governing body.

Sepp Blatter, who was re-elected as FIFA president on Wednesday, has been urging key sponsors to retain their trust in the organisation, which had to suspend two executive committee members on Sunday over the corruption scandal.

"Adidas enjoys a long-term partnership with FIFA as a sponsor and supplier around their events at all levels of the game and we have agreed to continue this partnership," the sportswear giant said.

"Adidas will be an official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Having said that, the negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA including its partners and we hope that FIFA will do its best to reach clarity on the allegations soon."

A FIFA ethics panel suspended both Mohamed bin Hamman and Jack Warner pending a full inquiry to study evidence that they arranged to bribe Caribbean voters during bin Hammam's presidential challenge.

Olympic cops to get counseling after Games duties

LONDON: It sounds like a plum assignment: Forget your regular duties for 70 days and travel throughout Britain with the Olympic torch in the run-up to the 2012 London Games.

But Scotland Yard officers hand-picked for the once-in-a-lifetime assignment will receive psychological counseling afterward, police officials said in a statement Friday.

The officers will consult with psychologists, doctors and physiotherapists in a series of debriefings to help them cope with the readjustment back to their normal lives and mundane regular duties, officials said.

"Mindful of the fact that officers will be taken away from their homes for 70 days and encouraged to live as part of a team, their reintegration ... after the event is already being carefully planned," Scotland Yard said. "The welfare of our staff is of paramount importance."

Occupational health specialists "are already developing plans to ensure that the welfare of this team is considered at every stage and the best possible support provided," police said.

The preparation of the 28 officers - plus eight in reserve who will be ready to step up in case of injury or illness - will also include a chance to discuss their career aspirations and their plans for managing their time away from home during the 70 days on torch duty.

MALAYSIAN NEWS: PM says M'sia to play greater role in global peace and stability

SINGAPORE: Malaysia will continue to match words with action in playing a greater role to help ensure global peace and stability, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"Malaysia has and will continue to play its role as a responsible global citizen. And, we have shown and will continue to show that our commitment is not merely rhetorical but is backed up by action," he said in his keynote address at the opening of the 10th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue here on Friday.

PM Najib delivering his speech Friday

In working to secure world peace, Najib said, Malaysian peacekeepers had served under the umbrella of both the United Nations and Nato, and that from Somalia to the Balkans, Malaysian security personnel had made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of global stability.

"But ours is not simply a peacekeeping role. Malaysia contributes in many, sometimes rather unexpected, ways - for example in Afghanistan, where we are playing our part in the country's rehabilitation by sending much-needed female Muslim doctors," he said.

In the fight against global terrorism, Najib pointed out that Malaysia had also been an active player, pro-active in ensuring Malaysia became neither a hotbed nor a transit point for terrorist operations.

"This is either actively or through the sharing of intelligence with regional security apparatus. We have helped with the apprehension or elimination of terrorists like Mas Selamat, Dr Azhari and Nordin Mat Top," he said.

Citing the southern Philippines as an example, Najib said Malaysia had put in place an international monitoring team and acted as an intermediary by hosting peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"And in southern Thailand, we have signalled our willingness to help with the socio-economic development of the four provinces with substantial Muslim population," he said.

Bilaterally, Najib said, Malaysia was working with the United States to combat crimes like drug trafficking, terrorism and fraud, and with Australia, to tackle the issue of asylum seekers and to foster stability in the region.

Australia criticised over child asylum seeker plan with Malaysia

CANBERRA: Australia came under fire from the U.N. children's aid agency and human rights advocates Friday over its plan to send unaccompanied child asylum seekers to Malaysia under a refugee swap deal being negotiated with the Southeast Asian nation.
Australia wants to deter asylum seekers from traveling to the continent by boat by sending hundreds of new arrivals to Malaysia.

The Malaysian government has reached an in-principle agreement to take 800 off Australian hands in return for Australia resettling 4,000 registered refugees from among more than 90,000 languishing in Malaysia.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen confirmed that the 800 will include vulnerable children who make the perilous boat journey to Australia without parents or adult guardians.

"I don't want unaccompanied minors. I don't want children getting on boats to come to Australia thinking or knowing that there is some sort of exemption in place," Bowen told Australian Broadcasting Corp television late Thursday.

UNICEF Australia chief executive Norman Gillespie said his agency had been seeking assurances from the government that children would not be sent to Malaysia and was "dismayed and shocked" by Bowen's announcement.

US EXCLUSIVE: 9 Companies Hiring Now

Targeting companies you want to work for can be an effective job-search strategy, particularly if you make connections with people who already work there. But which companies should you target?

While it's smart to approach your dream company about a job regardless of whether it has advertised openings, it's also a good idea to know which employers are hiring and think about how you might fit in there. Don't make the mistake of looking only in your industry. Especially if you've been unable to find a job for months, brainstorm how your skills could be valuable to companies outside your normal playing field.

So, to know about the 9 companies which are hiring now, dont forget to visit us again because...
Latest News Station is revealing it tomorrow at...
1.00pm (US time)
1.00am (Malaysian time)
or any other time *time subject to change

LNS CARES of people's welfare...

Sports Exclusive: South Africa to bid for 2022 Commonwealth Games

DURBAN, South Africa- South Africa's Olympic committee president says the country wants to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after dropping plans to bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Gideon Sam says South Africa "will go in for 2022" and will submit its bid immediately after the decision is made on the host of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Gold Coast in Australia and Sri Lanka's Hambantota are competing for 2018, and the winner will be announced on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts in November.

Sam said Thursday his committee wants to bring the Commonwealth Games to Africa for the first time after a planned bid for the continent's first Olympics in 2020 was abandoned last month on government advice.

Sam said of the Commonwealth Games: "it's never been in Africa so we want to put in a bid."
 

MALAYSIAN NEWS: 15,000 turnout forecast for M’sia Games opening

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Sports Council, which is organising this year's Malaysia Games, is expecting 15,000 spectators to the fill the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras here for the opening of the Games on Saturday.

NSC sports management division director Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdullah said various events had been lined up in conjunction with the opening to be officiated by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"We will be giving away free tickets to those who wish to witness the opening at the counter at the entrance of KLFA from tomorrow afternoon.

"Only 15,000 tickets are available and I hope sports fans will turn out in full force," he told reporters here Thursday.

He said prominent sports personalities Datuk Lee Choong Wei (badminton), Sazali Abdul Samad (bodybuilding), S. Kumar (hockey) and three senior athletes who had competed in the Games previously would be participating in the baton run.

Other highlights, he said, were performances by Malaysian rock stars Ramli Sarip and Man Kidal (real name Abdul Rahman Mahmood), a cultural performance by a Kuala Lumpur City Hall troupe, a tattoo by members of the Armed Forces and fireworks displays.

Japan's PM survives no-confidence motion

 

TOKYO- Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has survived a no-confidence motion in parliament but says he is willing to resign when the country's post-tsunami recovery takes hold.

Kan won by a margin of 293-152 in the 480-seat lower house. Several members were absent or abstained from the vote.

Before the session, Kan urged lawmakers to let him stay on and push ahead with measures to bring the country through the crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 24,000 people dead or missing and crippled a nuclear power plant northeast of Tokyo. He said he would consider resigning after they firm up.

Kan, in office just one year, has been criticized for not acting fast enough on the crisis.

West Ham: Tony Fernandes takeover bid 'not real'

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has crushed any hope of a takeover from Tony Fernandes, unless the Malaysian businessman, who owns Formula One's Team Lotus, makes a proper offer to consider.

Fernandes announced that he had made a bid for the club on Twitter on Wednesday, but Sullivan dismissed the offer as so 'derisory' it was hardly worth bothering about.

Tony Fernandes announced that he had made a bid for the club on Twitter

Sullivan told ESPNsoccernet: "In my opinion it was never a real bid. It's dead because in reality it never existed.''

Sullivan revealed no offer had been made to him or co-owner David Gold and gave assurances that new manager Sam Allardyce's job was not under threat.

He told The Sun: ''The whole thing is nonsense. I can assure Sam he has an unbreakable two-year contract and he is the perfect man for the job."


''I can only think the motivation for this 'takeover' bid is PR. If there was a genuine Russian billionaire out there willing to pump hundreds of billions of pounds into West Ham then we'd step aside for the good of the club."

''But when someone offers to buy your club for buttons and does it via Twitter it is most unhelpful at a time when we are trying to rebuild West Ham.''

Gold added on Sky Sports News: "You would think that to buy a football club you would approach the incumbent owners. I find it quite bizarre that anybody makes any offer for a business via Twitter".

"Let's hope it's serious as we would welcome another investor. It's inconceivable that somebody could begin negotiations this way. But you never know."

FIA prepares to rule on F1 race in Bahrain

MADRID - Formula One's governing body is set to decide Friday whether to reschedule the Bahrain Grand Prix for later this season, with some drivers and team officials saying the race should just be scrapped this year.

Bahrain organizers insist they are ready to host the race, which was meant to open the season but was postponed following anti-government protests in February that eventually left at least 30 dead following a brutal crackdown.

The Bahraini government lifted emergency rule on Wednesday, and the FIA's World Motor Council will decide on a rescheduling when it gathers in Barcelona on Friday.

Local organizers are hoping for a date around the Nov. 13 Abu Dhabi GP, which could push the season into December.

While F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is in favor of that proposal, which could also mean rescheduling the maiden Indian GP which is set for Oct. 30, there is some resistance in the F1 paddock.

"I'm always in favor of racing more but I think we lost the moment. It had to be when we were there, during the Asian leg of touring," Williams driver Rubens Barrichello said. "It's too tiring, too much to do now."

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said any decision that stretched the season to December was "totally unacceptable" since team crews will be left with little time for a break.

On Wednesday, the military withdrew from the center of Manama but kept police at numerous checkpoints around the city.

Technology Exclusive: Nikon updates a classic lens

AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

A long time ago, before zoom lenses were the norm with interchangeable lens cameras, the 50mm f/1.8 was the lens that you would get with every new SLR camera.

Since the advent of digital photography, of course, almost all modern DSLRs are bundled with a zoom lens which gives you more flexibility when it comes to framing your shots. Nevertheless, the 50mm prime lens is still one of the cheapest and sharpest lenses you can get and Nikon has continued to offer the venerable 50mm f/1.8D lens, largely unchanged in optical design, for more than 10 years.

However, the company recently updated their affordable 50mm f/1.8D, adding a bunch of new features and a new optical design to the lens, along with the longish name AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G.

The lens now comes with Nikon's Silent Wave Motor, which replaces the screwdrive and gear autofocus system of the old one and consequently, now works with budget DSLRs like the D3100 and D5100 that do not support the screwdrive autofocus system.

More importantly, the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G has an updated optical system featuring an aspherical lens element, which should mean that the lens has even better optical quality than ever before. Expect the price to go up as well - although it will likely still be relatively affordable, we expect the price to be between RM600 - RM900 based on US pricing.

For reference: www.nikon.com.my

LNS Sports Exclusive: McLaren's Hamilton apologizes to F1 rivals

LONDON - McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton apologized to Formula One rivals Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado on Tuesday for calling them "ridiculous" in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton was given drive-through penalties after colliding with Massa and Maldonado as he attempted to pass them during Sunday's incident-packed race.

The 2008 world champion posted an apology on his Twitter account, saying he didn't mean to criticize the pair and labeling them "fantastic drivers who I regard highly."


Hamilton criticized stewards after the race for imposing the penalties but was particularly unhappy with Massa and Maldonado, saying Sunday "these drivers are ridiculous. It's stupid." Hamilton acknowledged Tuesday he went too far and may have offended Formula One fans with his comments.

"(To) my fans lost & my fans won, I wish u nothing but love & happiness," Hamilton added on the social networking site.

Hamilton finished sixth on Sunday and is second in the drivers' championship, 58 points behind Monaco winner Sebastian Vettel.

Apple's Steve Jobs to deliver keynote on new 'iCloud'

 

NEW YORK: Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs will take a break from medical leave to deliver the keynote speech at next week's Apple conference, the company said Tuesday.

The keynote will feature a new "iCloud" service, the company said. It didn't explain what the service will do, but Apple has been in talks with all four major recording companies on allowing users to store their songs on Apple-run servers rather than on their home PCs, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person was not authorized to speak publicly on the deals and spoke recently on condition of anonymity.

Jobs went on medical leave in January for unspecified reasons, handing over day-to-day control to chief operating officer Tim Cook. Investors were rattled because Jobs is seen as the creative force behind the company, crucial to shaping hit products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Even while on leave, Jobs has remained involved in larger decisions at the company, and demonstrated the new iPad model at a news conference in March.

Apple shares rose $10.42, or 3.1 percent, to close at $347.83. Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday in San Francisco.

Jobs decision to appear at the conference indicates he believes iCloud will be another breakthrough service for Apple.

ICloud could give users a wide array of music for their iPhones, iPads and Wi-Fi-capable iPods, without having to connect them to their home PCs to transfer songs. Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have recently launched similar services.

Sports Exclusive: Berbatov will remain a Red Devil

Dimitar Berbatov has rubbished talk he will quit Manchester United in the summer. The Bulgarian had been tipped to leave Old Trafford after boss Alex Ferguson left him out of his Champions League final squad for the defeat against Barcelona. But he is determined to prove he has a future with the Red Devils and has vowed to fire them to their 20th league championship.

The Premier League's joint Golden Boot winner, 30, said: "I will stay. I will fight for the 20th title. "If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4."

Berbatov scored 21 goals as United won the Premier League with a nine-point margin over second-placed Chelsea. However, he found his first team chances limited towards the end of the campaign following the emergence of Mexican sensation Javier Hernandez.

And it was Hernandez who partnered Wayne Rooney up front in the 3-1 Champions League final loss to Barca last weekend. But Berbatov reckons there will be plenty of opportunities for him to prove his worth to United in the future.

He added: "I want to apologise to everyone for not taking part in the final. "I hoped to make the whole of Bulgaria happy with my play. This did not happen and I can only say I am sorry for myself and for the Bulgarians, who expected to see me. "But there will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit.

"The truth is that I stayed at the dressing room and watched the Champions League final there, on a TV screen. "I was really disappointed. I was ashamed that I was not part of the team and did not want people to see how sad I feel."

Germany reports 365 new E coli cases but cause of outbreak remains a mystery

The iceberg lettuce crop in a field near Cappeln, Germany, is destroyed after authorities widened the E coli alert.

The mysterious German E coli outbreak that has killed 16 people shows no sight of abating, with 365 new cases confirmed on Wednesday.

The source of the outbreak is still unknown, though the majority of those affected either live in Germany – particularly in or around the northern city of Hamburg – or have travelled there recently. The German disease control agency the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 365 new E coli cases today, a quarter of them involving the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication resulting from E coli infection that affects the blood and kidneys.

European Union officials said three cases had also been reported in the United States, adding that most infections reported outside Germany involved German nationals or people who had recently travelled to the country. On Tuesday, a Swedish woman became the first person to die outside Germany after returning from a trip there.

On Wednesday, the northern state of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania issued a plea for blood donations in case the number of victims continues to rise. German authorities initially identified cucumbers imported from Spain as the likely source of the outbreak.

But on Tuesday they admitted further tests on the cucumbers showed that, while contaminated, they did not carry the bacterium strain responsible for the deaths. They have still not identified the cause, but raw lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers remain prime suspects, with authorities recommending that consumers in northern Germany avoid all three.

Spain said it was considering legal action after the false alarm. "We do not rule out taking action against authorities which have cast doubt on the quality of our produce, so action may be taken against the authorities, in this case, of Hamburg," deputy prime minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba told radio station Cadena Ser on Wednesday.

MALAYSIAN NEWS: CAP wants to stop over the counter sale of contraceptive pills

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) is calling for a stop to the sale of oral contraceptives over the counter and put the use of the pills under a doctor's prescription and supervision.

Its president S.M. Mohamed Idris said besides being used as a contraceptive, the pills were also used for other off-label uses like postponing periods.

He added that taking synthetic hormones (contraceptive pills) to control the ovulation process was suppressing the natural process of ovulation. "This can disrupt the natural process of reproduction in women, causing pain, discomfort, change in moods and depression, and further creating reproductive problems for women who may later want to bear children," he said in a press conference here Wednesday.

He said according to a drug insert, the pills should not be used in the presence of any conditions like pregnancy, cardiovascular disorders, cerebrovascular disorders, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, anaemia, cancer and many more.

He said even though the drugs were controlled by the Poisons Act 1952 which requires the seller to record their sales in a register called Poisons Book, many pharmacies are not practising that.

"In a survey of 15 outlets, oral contraceptives were sold over the counter without registration of buyers' details in 14 pharmacies. "Only one asked the buyer to register herself but the authenticity was not verified," he said.

Mohamed Idris said a number of the contraceptives were sold in loose strips with no drug information on the use, contra-indications or side-effects given to the buyer.

He said the existing law was totally meaningless as it has failed to protect women's health and in the process, put their reproductive health in jeopardy. "A campaign should be launched to educate women on the dangers and misuse of contraceptive pills," he said.

UN: TV, Internet harming protection of biodiversity

LACK OF AWARENESS: A UN official says that young people's fascination with television, the Internet, videogames and other electronic entertainment is making it more difficult to protect the world's biodiversity.

MANILA: Young people's fascination with television, the Internet, videogames and other electronic entertainment is making it more difficult to protect the world's biodiversity, a UN official warned. Because many young people are urbanised and alienated from nature, they may not realise the value of protecting natural ecosystems and species, said Ahmed Djoghlaf, the United Nations executive secretary on biological diversity.

"Our children are behind their computers, their SMS, their videogames, watching TV. They are living in a virtual world and we need to re-connect them with nature," Djoghlaf told a Southeast Asian biodiversity forum in Manila. "They don't see how a potato is grown. They just see potatoes at a shelf in the supermarket."

He cited surveys showing children in developed countries spend 95% of their free time watching TV or on the computer, and only five per cent outdoors. Another survey said 20% of American children had never climbed a tree, Djoghlaf said.

Arguing that the lack of education was one of the biggest threats to preserving natural heritage, Djoghlaf cited a survey of Europe in 2009 which found that 60% of the population did not know the meaning of the word "biodiversity."

"How can you protect something you don't know? How can you protect something you've never seen?" he asked.

Sports Exclusive: Man United midfielder Paul Scholes retires

MANCHESTER, England : Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes announced his retirement from football on Tuesday, ending the glittering and trophy-laden career of a player widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted of his generation.

The 36-year-old Scholes made 676 appearances for United after making his debut for the club in 1994 and was the midfield heartbeat of a team that has dominated English football for the past two decades.

"To have had such a long and successful career at Manchester United has been a real honor," said Scholes, who famously eschewed the glamorous lifestyle of many modern-day footballers and rarely gave interviews.

"This was not a decision that I have taken lightly but I feel now is the right time for me to stop playing."

Scholes won 10 Premier League titles with United and scored 150 goals, but was no longer a regular choice in the first team by the end of the recently completed season, leading to growing speculation about his playing future.

His last appearance for the northwest power was as a late substitute in Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley.

A fortnight earlier, he had helped United claim a record 19th English title, overhauling Liverpool as the country's most successful league team. He made 66 appearances for England before retiring from international football in 2004 to concentrate on his club career.

Scholes said he will take up a coaching role at United, starting next season.

"What more can I say about Paul Scholes that I haven't said before," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "We are going to miss a truly unbelievable player.

"Paul has always been fully committed to this club and I am delighted he will be joining the coaching staff from next season. Paul has always been inspirational to players of all ages and we know that will continue in his new role."

Starting out as a deep-lying forward, Scholes eventually dropped back into central midfield where his touch, technique and vision could be more effectively utilized. He never lost his eye for goal, though, and turned his late runs into the penalty box into an art form.

Scholes had a particularly fierce shot and was always dangerous from outside the box.

Barcelona midfielder Xavi recently said Scholes was "the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete."

He added: "He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn't give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more."

The only part of Scholes' armory that let him down was his tackling, which was often late and clumsy. He missed the dramatic win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final through suspension but started in 2008 when United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow to claim its third European Cup.

"It is very sad day for Manchester United fans around the world," said United chief executive David Gill. "We all know that Paul was one of the players that came through the ranks of the academy system in the 1990s and has established himself as one of the greatest players to ever wear the United shirt."

Technology Exclusive: HP expands notebook battery recall

  

Hewlett-Packard is expanding a previously-announced voluntary battery recall and free replacement programme, which now includes additional battery packs and one added notebook model series, namely the Compaq 6520s.

The affected battery packs contain cells that have the potential to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

HP is urging customers to visit the programme's website to find out if their notebook model number is part of the programme and if their specific battery packs are affected. Customers who have validated their model number and battery pack during previous recall announcements should also revalidate their battery pack, the company said.

www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement

MALAYSIAN NEWS: Improved NS physical module from next year

 

KOTA BARU: The National Service (NS) Training Department will introduce an improved physical module for NS trainees starting January next year, said its director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil.

He said the sports science-based module would include commercial elements which participants can benefit from after the training ends.

"We have asked the Sultan Idris University of Education (UPSI) to come up with the improved module.

"UPSI will publish a guide book on the new module for trainees and trainers, and we expect to implement the module by January 2011," he told reporters here Tuesday.

Abdul Hadi said the new module would not do away with the existing one which offers activities such as shooting, marching, water activities and other extreme sports, and would also be upgraded from time to time.

Sports Exclusive: Drogba to get new deal

 
Didier Drogba is set to be offered a new, improved deal to finish his career at Chelsea. The striker had been tipped to leave this summer after the £50million club record signing of Fernando Torres.

But a Blues insider said: "As soon as the new coach has been appointed one of the first things that will happen is that Didier signs a new extended deal. "There's no way the club want him to leave - he's one of the best strikers in the world."

Torres' dismal form - just one goal in 12 games - means the Ivory Coast star, 33, is indispensable. The insider added: "Can you imagine the outcry if Didier was sold and Torres continues to struggle? The decision's been made - it's better to keep both."

Drogba, who has a year of his current £130,000-a- week deal to run, has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid or Spurs. Now he is on course to land a pay rise and an extra year to take him through to 2013.

MALAYSIAN NEWS: More than 1,000 fines issued to underage smokers

 
PETALING JAYA: More than 1,000 fines were slapped on underage people caught smoking or in possession of tobacco products, from January to April this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said a total of 4,475 fines had been given out thus far for various offences under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004. "The total amount of fines issued are as much as RM999,125," he said in a statement Tuesday, adding that RM756,998 had been collected until April.

A total of 2,527 fines were issued to those caught smoking in no-smoking areas such as Government premises, public vehicles or rest stops.

Another 331 fines were slapped on owners of premises or traders who failed to display no-smoking signs, or sold to those below 18 or the minimum cigarette price.

Liow said the Ministry had conducted 2,158 operations throughout the country during the first four months of the year. He said the ministry would continue its enforcement operations to protect the public from the dangers of smoking and to prevent the habit forming especially among teenagers.

Those wanting to quit smoking can call 03-88834400 for relevant information.
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