Big-spending teens are retailers' dream

Chelsea Kuball reads Vogue, spends hundreds of dollars a month at the mall and shops online for clothes and accessories she can't find at stores so she'll stand out.

Her favorite find of late was a $500 Jill Stuart dress that was on sale.

“I'll find a dance for this dress,” she says.

She's an impulsive shopper with a sense of style and a thing for sales, a retailer's dream, and she's only 14.

Chelsea, an incoming high school freshman who lives in Brentwood, Tenn., with her parents, an older brother, two dogs and a cat, is part of a generation of teenagers who spent an estimated $179 billion last year on everything from Steve Madden shoes to Madden NFL 07 video games.

Last year, teen spending was up almost 13 percent from the year before, and it's likely to climb higher this year, according to TRU, a market research firm in Northbrook, Ill., that has helped clients from Abercrombie & Fitch to Yahoo get a handle on teen shoppers.

Spending clout is major

On average, teenage boys spend 26 percent of their money on clothes, shoes and accessories; 20 percent on CDs, DVDs and gadgets; and 16 percent on food, according to a survey of teen spenders by investment bank Piper Jaffray & Co.

Teenage girls spend 57 percent of their money on fashion — dresses, jeans, shoes and makeup among the purchases.

With no mortgages or college loans to pay off, teens “have a tremendous amount of spending power,” said Scott Krugman, a spokesman with the National Retail Federation. “Retailers recognize this, and they'd be foolish not to market to them.”

Hollister — the No. 1 clothing brand for teens according to the Piper Jaffray survey — offers a free “jukebox” on its site, hollisterco.com, with songs by Albert Hammond Jr., The New Loud and other artists parents probably haven't heard of.

American Eagle Outfitters, No. 2 on Piper Jaffray's most-popular list, has begun producing three-minute episodes of “It's a Mall World,” an original series that plays on MTV and streams on American Eagle's Web site, ae.com.

Some of the characters on the show get their clothes at American Eagle.

“I think a lot of teens will appreciate that,” said Betty Chen, vice president of equity research with Wedbush Morgan Securities, based in Los Angeles. “It is a fresh, innovative way to market yourself.”

Chains seek teen ‘buzz'

Chains are trying to attract teens through “buzz” marketing, what an earlier generation called word of mouth.

“We tell (our teenage customers) to get out there and push it,” said Korbie Rinehart, manager of the Ecko Unlimited store at Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Tenn., which counts on teens for about half its business. “Word of mouth is the best way we've advertised so far.”

Word-of-mouth marketing is what led 13-year-old Jessica Stevens of Franklin to spend $200 on MAC Cosmetics. She's liked the brand ever since trying her friend's makeup.

“I kind of want to have their approval,” Jessica said of her friends. “We all tend to dress alike. ... It boosts our confidence.”

Not to be ignored

Sometimes teens just want a little respect before they spend their dollars.

Last weekend, 14-year-old Bailey Sharpe and her friends rushed into an accessories store in the CoolSprings Galleria mall in Franklin, Tenn., piling on four bracelets on their arms as they danced around the store and tried on sunglasses. A store employee glared at them.

Clerks at other stores barely acknowledged them.

“They're not very helpful,” said Bailey, who didn't buy anything at the stores. “They're a little rude.”

Retailers will need to cater more to teens' needs if they want teens' money, said Ann Fairhurst, University of Tennessee professor in retail and consumer sciences.

“Many times, sales associates might not see the teen customer as a real customer, and that really turns the teens off,” Fairhurst said. “They don't want to be ignored and treated indifferently.”

Source : www.theithacajournal.com

In the papers 11 September

Intel revises Q3 forecast upward | Apple sells 1 million iPhones

The Irish Times reports that Cork received a jobs boost on Monday with three companies announcing a total of 188 jobs, including software firm SolarWinds and financial services firm Apex Fund.

The paper also says that an antitrust case opened in Australia's Federal Court on Monday against Google, with the company's Irish operations named as one of the defendants. The proceedings by the Australian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (ACCC) allege that the search giant has deceived consumers by not differentiating between its organic search results and those which are being displayed because Google has received payment from an advertiser. The ACCC is taking the case against Google Ireland, Google Australia and parent company Google Inc.

The paper also says that Vislink, the Dublin- and London-listed video and communications technology group, has won three significant orders from US security and law enforcement organisations, worth a combined total of USD3.2 million.

The paper also notes that hotel chain Prem Group is to provide free wireless internet access at all of its properties in Ireland, the UK and Belgium, having signed a deal with Dublin-based Free-hotspot.com.

The same paper says that ICS Computing has completed a EUR1.5 million contract to provide an accounting software system to oil importer and distributor Campus Oil.

The Irish Independent says that cosmetics group L'Oreal has launched a legal action against eBay, alleging the online auctioneer does not do enough to combat the sale of counterfeits. The action by L'Oreal follows similar action taken against eBay by luxury groups LVMH and parent company Dior, and US jeweller Tiffany's. eBay argues it clamps down on all cases of counterfeiting notified to it by the firms concerned.

The same paper says that two managers, who stole computer records to set up in competition against their former employer, were found out through a forensic analysis of their computer records ordered by the High Court. Limerick firm Brian A Flynn Ltd, which installs custom-built refrigeration, got a court order allowing computer detectives Critical Data Services to carry out a raid on the new company's premises to seize misappropriated records. John O'Leary of Rivendell, Co Kerry, and Neil O'Connor of Aisling Heights, Co Cork, have agreed to pay the Limerick company damages, lift a major legal costs bill and undertake not to use all records they had taken with them.

The Financial Times says that Apple has dispelled some of the concerns about sales of the new iPhone as it announced that 1 million of the gadgets had been sold by last weekend. Coming some three weeks before the target date that the technology firm had set for hitting the 1 million milestone, the news helped to calm fears that had been provoked by a surprisingly big price cut announced for the handset in the middle of last week. While that news had wiped more than 5 percent from Apple's share price, Monday's announcement prompted a 3.75 percent rebound.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Intel has revised its third-quarter forecast upward. The top chip maker laid out a higher range for revenue in the current period. Based on the midpoint, the forecast points to 10 percent revenue growth from the year-earlier period, compared with the prediction in July of 7 percent growth. Intel also said its gross profit margin will be toward the upper end of a prior forecast.

According to the same paper, Sony has unveiled a small egg-shaped digital music player that spins, flashes lights and jiggles like a robot. The Japanese consumer electronics maker said the palm-sized 'Rolly', which combines audio and robotic technologies, is meant to make it more entertaining to listen to music with other people. While consumers increasingly listen to music through individual headphones, the Rolly has two small speakers but no outlet for headphones.

Source : www.enn.ie

McCanns' agony as new search begins

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

By Claire McNeilly

Kate and Gerry McCann today face further agony after Portuguese police announced a new set of searches for their missing daughter.

The move comes after reports emerged that a full DNA match to little Madeleine had been found in the hire car used by the McCanns, in addition to the partial match in traces of blood found in the boot of the vehicle.

Portuguese police are understood to be preparing to hand their file on the case to the public prosecutor later today for him to consider whether to bring charges against her parents.

The prosecutor is expected to consider the 40 questions which the McCanns allegedly refused to answer, as well as emails and tapped phone calls made between them and their friends.

Reacting to the news, Gerry McCann described the past week as a " unending nightmare".

"Kate and I are totally 100% confident in each other's innocence, and our family and friends have rallied round unflinchingly to support us," he told his website.

"We have absolute confidence that, when all of the facts are presented together, we will be able to demonstrate that we played absolutely no part in Madeleine's abduction. Our primary concern has always been the search for Madeleine and this aspect, that our daughter is still missing, must remain a priority for the investigation."

In light of the claims, Kate and Gerry (both 39) are also to be questioned by social workers about the welfare of their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, at a meeting later this week.

Tests returned from the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham on a specimen taken from the McCanns' Renault Scenic showed it was a full match of Madeleine's DNA, sources told Sky News.

The results prove that the girl's body was in the boot of the car, which was not hired until 25 days after she went missing. But Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, spokesman for the police investigation, denied the report to Portuguese journalists last night.

Alipio Ribeiro, head of the investigative Policia Judiciaria (PJ), also suggested that the forensic tests had not been conclusive.

He told Portuguese state broadcaster RTP: "We can't say with certainty whether it was the blood of person 'A' or person 'B'.

"They help guide us in our investigation but not with the mathematical precision some people are saying," he said.

Police will submit their detailed file to Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses today.

He will carry out a review of the findings before deciding whether the police evidence is strong enough to warrant charges against the couple.

This could mean months of agonising waiting for Mr and Mrs McCann, who returned home to Rothley, Leicestershire, on Sunday having been named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

The prosecutor has three main options - he could bring charges, rule that no action should be taken, or send the papers back to police requesting more evidence.

Senior officers decided to submit the file despite not having all the FSS results. But a source close to the investigation said all results of substance had already been handed to Leicestershire Police and the Portuguese authorities.

Although the Policia Judiciara called off the search for the four-year-old months ago, it revealed fresh plans for another hunt in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing 131 days ago.

These will take place at "specific locations" to the south of the Ocean Club resort, from which Madeleine disappeared, according to the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha. Mr Sousa refused to confirm or deny the report.

Source : www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

PM leads Anita Roddick tributes

Gordon Brown has led tributes to the "inspirational" Dame Anita Roddick, who has died from a brain haemorrhage.

The prime minister said the 64-year-old founder of the ethical cosmetics chain Body Shop was "one of the country's true pioneers".

Her husband, Gordon, and daughters Sam and Justine were with her when she died at 1830 BST on Monday at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex.

She had been taken to hospital on Sunday after complaining of a headache.

Dame Anita set up the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976. She pioneered cruelty-free beauty products and turned them into a highly profitable business.

High street icon

Gordon Brown said of her: "She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market.

"She will be remembered not only as a great campaigner but also as a great entrepreneur."

When you look at it today, and how every company claims to be green, she was living this decades ago John Sauven Executive director of Greenpeace Obituary: Dame Anita Roddick

Last year the Body Shop was sold to the French company L'Oreal but it is still run independently.

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Dame Anita became one of Britain's most successful businesswomen. She pioneered the ethical sourcing of products at Body Shop and the chain was one of the icons of the High Street in the 1980s.

In the 1990s its fortunes were hit as rivals started making similar products, but the retailer fought back and has more than 2,100 stores in 55 countries.

US animal rights' group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) vice president Dan Mathews said she risked her business to be "the first corporation to announce boldly - in letters a foot high in her store windows - 'against animal tests'."

"Before Body Shop you could only find cruelty-free products in hippie shops - now they are everywhere," he said.

Adrian Bellamy, chairman of The Body Shop International, said: "Anita leaves us with an enduring legacy which will long guide the affairs of The Body Shop.

"Our heartfelt condolences are with the Roddick family at this sad time."

In February Dame Anita announced she had contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in 1971.

Charles Gore, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said that after her diagnosis she quickly became a patron of the charity.

"The great thing about Anita was that she took all her causes incredibly seriously but she never took herself seriously, which made her really fun to be with," he said.

'Own mortality'

She also revealed she was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver after contracting Hepatitis C from blood given during the birth of her youngest daughter.

She said she had unknowingly lived with "this silent killer" for three decades and only found out about it two years ago after a blood test.

HAVE YOUR SAY She was an inspiration to a generation of people. Her vision and wit in dealing with all issues was a unique gift Bipin Joshi, Godalming Send us your reaction

"What I can say is that having Hep C means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality, which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate," Dame Anita said.

She told BBC News in July she had been having "some tiny heart attacks", which she put down to "getting in and out of aeroplanes so often".

'True champion'

Clive Stafford Smith, legal director of anti-death penalty organisation Reprieve, said she had just agreed to be its chairwoman.

"We were so happy to have her, she was so full of life, so fantastic," he said.

Emma Colyer from the HIV and Aids charity Body and Soul, which Dame Anita set up, said it was a terribly sad day for society at large.

"Anita carried out campaigns on so many issues and often issues that were not popular by the mass of public," she said.

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said Dame Anita's passion for human rights was "immeasurable".

She said: "We have lost a true champion of the oppressed and persecuted."

Source : news.bbc.co.uk

Legal options in Madeleine case

The McCanns could be interviewed by UK police

Police papers from the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are due to be passed to the public prosecutor in Portugal. But what are his options?

With Kate and Gerry McCann back home in the UK, the Portuguese authorities are weighing up what action to take next in relation to them and Robert Murat - the other formal suspect in the investigation into the disappearance of the McCanns' four-year-old daughter Madeleine.

Detectives in Portimao have been preparing the case files to hand them over to Jose Magalhaes e Meneses, the prosecutor overseeing their work, for him to review progress and redirect the investigation if necessary.

"The public prosecutor wants to see the case files," said Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa, the police spokesman for the investigation.

"Normally we keep him up to date verbally, but when he wants to look at them, we hand them over."

Police said they expected to hand over the files on Tuesday. Once they have done so, the prosecutor will draw together the evidence they contain and decide the next step.

He could conclude there is enough evidence to draw up a charge sheet against one or more of the arguidos, or formal suspects, in the case - Robert Murat and Kate and Gerry McCann - thus bringing the investigation to a close, or that one or more of them should have that status removed, for lack of evidence.

More likely is he will direct police to gather more evidence - for example by carrying out further searches or witness interviews - and to cross-check this with existing information.

'More bureaucracy'

If police want to interrogate Kate or Gerry McCann further, then they must formally notify them of that fact.

Mr and Mrs McCann would then have five working days from when they, or their Portuguese lawyer, receives the letter before having to appear.

If the McCanns refused to return for questioning, the Portuguese could formally request that UK police interrogate them instead, putting to them a list of questions sent from Portimao, perhaps with a Portuguese detective observing.

But all this would mean more bureaucracy, slowing down proceedings.

"As soon as suspects leave the country, another jurisdiction enters the picture," said Rogerio Alves, the head of Portugal's Order of Lawyers.

Robert Murat is the only other formal suspect

"All formal requests will have to be scrutinised by the court system there unless they come voluntarily."

In any case, now the McCanns are arguidos, they are no longer obliged to answer questions during interrogation.

So from the point of view of police, obtaining further evidence becomes still more crucial.

That evidence could come in the form of further results from DNA and other tests done on samples sent some six weeks ago to a forensic laboratory in Birmingham.

These were taken at the apartment from which Madeleine disappeared on 3 May and from a car used by the McCanns more than three weeks afterwards, as well as from other vehicles and sites deemed relevant to the investigation.

It was what police described as "partial results" from those tests which seem to have triggered last week's questioning of the McCanns, during which they became arguidos.

Police say they do not know when the full results will be in, while the Birmingham laboratory said that tests on the samples would continue.

Arrest warrants

Police could force Kate or Gerry McCann to return to Portugal by issuing arrest warrants, which under European Union accords should be executed by the British authorities within 40 days.

Such a move would, however, be worthwhile only if police had sufficient evidence of a serious enough crime to convince a Portuguese judge they should be held in some form of custody.

As to how long the McCanns could remain formal suspects without being charged, in principle it is for eight months.

That could be extended by four months, for example on grounds that the need to shuttle correspondence between Portugal and the UK results in delays.

Once the first eight months are up, one of two things could happen: an arguido may formally request that the investigation be accelerated. This move is, however, in itself not binding.

The investigation could take several more months... it could be up to one year Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa

"The deadlines are recommended only," said Portuguese lawyer Nelson Lourenco. "If they're not kept to, there's no real comeback."

Alternatively, Portugal's attorney general could step in, on the grounds that one or another deadline for the investigation has been exceeded, and take charge of the case.

In fact, he can intervene earlier if he takes the view that police were treating an individual as a suspect before formally declaring them an arguido.

In any case, police have indicated the McCanns are unlikely to remain in their current situation for more than eight months without being charged or cleared, given that the prosecutor has asked for the case files so soon after they were declared arguidos.

Chief Insp de Sousa said: "The investigation could take several more months. It could be up to one year. But in this case that's unlikely, since the prosecutor is analysing the files now. It shouldn't take long."

Police, he added, will continue their efforts to discover what happened on 3 May, even as the prosecutor pores over the case files.

"In an investigation of this kind there are always things to do," he said.



Source : news.bbc.co.uk

Anita Roddick, 64; founder of Body Shop

Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop chain of stores featuring natural-ingredient cosmetics, died Monday after suffering a brain hemorrhage, according to British news media. She was 64.

A social activist and author as well as an expert on natural-ingredient skin care, hair care and cosmetics, Roddick died after being admitted to St. Richard's Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex, according to British media reports.

Roddick opened the first of her innovative shops in Brighton, England, in 1976. She promoted low-priced cosmetics that she packaged in refillable containers and offered a discount for refill purchases.

She also made a point of avoiding ingredients that had been tested on animals. Instead, she featured products made with banana, strawberry, pineapple, seaweed, jojoba, elder flower and the like. One of the more unusual items she made was a carrot moisturizing cream.

Roddick's passion for the natural and unpretentious in cosmetics fit easily with her commitment to the environment. Over the years she became as well known for her efforts to protect whales and restore rain forests as for her henna hair-coloring products.

Her success as a businesswoman allowed her to aid orphans in Romania, sponsor food and shelter programs for the homeless in London and battle laws she opposed, including the death penalty.

"Our reason for being is to dedicate our business to the pursuit of social and environmental change," Roddick noted in her company's statement of principles.

In 2004, Roddick donated $1.8 million to Amnesty International, the human rights organization.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, called Roddick an "incredible woman" and noted that she was living "green" decades before it was fashionable to do so.

"She was so ahead of her time when it came to issues of how business could be done in different ways, not just profit-motivated but taking into account environmental issues," Sauven said in a statement carried by the Associated Press.

Born Anita Perella on Oct. 23, 1942, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England, Roddick was the daughter of Italian immigrants.

She graduated from Bath College of Education but often said her best teacher was world travel.

She married Thomas Gordon Roddick, a poet, in 1970. He soon joined her as co-chairperson of her business.

After expanding to include nearly 200 shops in England and Europe, most of them franchise stores, the Body Shop entered the U.S. market in 1988.

Her emphasis on small boutiques that stocked natural ingredients inspired a number of imitators, but she remained the most prominent name in the business for two decades.

Before Roddick and her husband stepped down as co-chairs in 2002, the business had grown to include more than 1,900 stores in 50 countries, according to a company history.

The Body Shop became part of L'Oreal, the French cosmetics industry giant, in July 2006.

Along with building her cosmetics business, Roddick wrote a number of books, including "The Body Shop: Skin, Hair and Body Care" (1994) and an autobiography titled "Business as Usual: The Triumph of Anita Roddick" (2000). She edited "Take it Personally: How to Make Conscious Choices to Change the World" (2001).

She was awarded the title of dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for services to retailing, the environment and charity.

Earlier this year, Roddick announced that she had contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in 1971. She discovered her condition as the result of her latest blood test.

"It means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality," Roddick said of her condition, "which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate."

Roddick's survivors include her husband and her daughters, Sam and Justine.

mary.rourke@latimes.com


Source : www.chicagotribune.com

Search For Steve Fossett Continues Into Second Week

Wife Believes Search Will "Eventually Produce Results"

The search for famed adventurer and aviator Steve Fossett continues into its second week.

His wife, Peggy Fossett, issued a statement Monday praising the rescue personnel dedicated to finding her husband. Read by police to reporters at Nevada's Minden Air Base the statement said Peggy Fossett was "confident the daunting search for (her) husband would eventually produce results," according to Agence France-Presse.

"The search for Steve Fossett is intense, thorough and highly professional," she said. "Our hopes are high and I am confident of a successful resolution to this search."

She also thanked the "hundreds of friends and volunteers who are looking for and the millions around the world who are praying for Steve's safe return."

As ANN reported, Steve Fossett departed Nevada's Hilton Ranch airport in a blue and white Super Decathlon, Monday morning, and has not been seen since.

The Associated Press reports Fossett took off from the Flying M Ranch southeast of Reno, NV to scout out dry lakebeds for his next record-attempt -- this one on land.

He did not file a flight plan.

The Nevada Record-Courier reports searchers have stumbled upon a half-dozen accident sites around Nevada and California since the search began in earnest, including a location near Fort Churchill Road that emergency personnel initially thought may have been connected to Fossett.

"That we're finding so many crash sites is an indication of the search we're doing," Civil Air Patrol spokeswoman Major Cynthia Ryan said. "We're putting the area under a microscope, so to speak."

Officials told reporters the search was going to remain focused on a 50-mile radius from the airstrip where he took off, reported the AFP.

"The 50-mile radius from the Flying M Ranch is still the focus," said Lyon County Undersheriff Joe Sanford.

"We're going to stick with this until we find him. As long as there's hope, as long as there are assets, we will continue. We will not rest until we bring this to what we feel is a successful conclusion."

Source : www.aero-news.net

Petraeus's Credibility Wins Bush Extra Time for Iraq Strategy

By Ken Fireman and Janine Zacharia

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- General David Petraeus's four-star credibility has bought President George W. Bush more time to pursue his military offensive in Iraq.

The testimony yesterday of the U.S. commander in Iraq, along with that of U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, resonated with the two groups of lawmakers whose support Bush needs to keep his strategy going: wavering Republicans and a small band of supportive Democrats.

Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia, who last month called on Bush to begin withdrawing some troops by the end of the year, called Petraeus's testimony ``powerful, compelling and credible.'' Warner is a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Representative Jim Marshall of Georgia, one of 10 House Democrats to vote in July against setting a timeline for withdrawal, called Petraeus's testimony ``powerful and persuasive.'' And Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, also said after the testimony that he remained opposed to a congressionally mandated pullout.

Anti-war critics are zeroing in on Petraeus's credibility, well aware of its potency as a political weapon. They sought to debunk it as they questioned his assessments that violence in Iraq was falling and Iraqi security forces were growing more competent.

`Washington Clock'

Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts said the general's testimony was a ``Petraeus village'' that was ``just a façade to hide from view the continuing failure of the Bush administration's strategy.''

Markey said Petraeus, 54, ``may be delivering too much White House spin in hopes of adding more time to what he calls the `Washington clock.'''

Some war opponents recalled that Petraeus had made such statements before: in an article in the Washington Post that was published less than six weeks before the 2004 presidential election. They said Petraeus's assertion in the article that Iraqi forces were making ``tangible progress'' proved factually wrong and had improperly boosted Bush's re-election campaign.

``I never saw a military field commander get so involved so close to an election,'' said Lawrence Korb, an assistant defense secretary from 1981 to 1985 who is now an analyst at Washington's Center for American Progress, an opponent of the military buildup and an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

``Since he's so closely identified with this strategy, since he helped to conceive it, it's hard for him to be objective,'' said Korb of Petraeus. ``Even if he were a saint, it would be very hard for him to be objective about this.''

Judgment Questioned

Representative Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, asked Petraeus why lawmakers should believe his current judgment given what he had said in 2004 and asked whether he would be ``saying the same thing three years from now?'' Petraeus replied that his 2004 assessment was accurate.

The hardest swipe at Petraeus was taken by the anti-Bush group MoveOn.org. In an advertisement in the New York Times, the group cited the 2004 article and went on to accuse Petraeus of ``cooking the books for the White House.'' It added, ``General Petraeus is likely to become General Betray Us.''

Republican lawmakers and the White House denounced the challenges to Petraeus's credibility.

``I resent the comments of those who have sat comfortably in their air-conditioned offices thousands of miles away from the firefights and the roadside bombs and tried their Washington best in recent days to impugn the general's good name,'' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a floor speech yesterday.

Planned Pullout

In his testimony, Petraeus said the number of U.S. troops in Iraq could be cut by mid-2008 to about 130,000 from its current 168,000. That would take the troop level back to where it was before Bush ordered a military buildup in January. The general said it was premature to predict whether any deeper reductions could be made.

Petraeus said some drawdowns could begin this month, starting with a Marine expeditionary unit, and that an Army combat brigade could be pulled back in mid-December.

Both he and Crocker, 58, warned that a hasty withdrawal would be perilous. They said it would short-circuit efforts to create political stability, risk triggering full-blown civil war, erode security gains made during the buildup and open the door for Iran to gain even more influence in Iraq.

``The Iranian president has already announced that Iran will fill any vacuum in Iraq,'' Crocker told the congressional hearing. Terrorists could gain safe havens for attacks, he said.

Gains Cited

Petraeus said the military objectives of the buildup ``are in large measure being met.'' Civilian deaths have declined, he said, ``Iraqi security forces have also continued to grow and to shoulder more of the load'' and al-Qaeda terrorists are coming under pressure.

The willingness of Sunni tribes in Anbar province to fight al-Qaeda along with U.S. forces is spreading elsewhere, Petraeus said. Still, Petraeus noted that progress has been ``uneven'' throughout the country and the number of civilian deaths remains ``too high.''

Petraeus's assessment that violence in Iraq has fallen since the U.S. buildup was questioned last week by Congress's investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office. Its study found the average number of daily attacks against civilians had remained about the same during the past six months.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ken Fireman in Washington at kfireman1@bloomberg.net Janine Zacharia in Washington at jzacharia@bloomberg.net

Source : www.bloomberg.com

KKR Buyout Terms May Set the Standard

The truce private-equity giant Kolhberg Kravis Roberts & Co. has reached with its bankers on the financing of First Data Corp. could provide the model for other deals coming to market over the next few weeks.

KKR, known for vowing to hold the line against banks seeking better terms, agreed to make several concessions to bankers, according to people familiar with the matter. But the firm changed the terms largely at the margins. That assured that market attention will remain focused on the $26.4 billion First Data leveraged buyout as the first and most important in a string of coming deals valued at about $400 billion.

First Data "is the canary in the coal mine. If it gets done, then another $350 billion is doable," says the co-head of private equity at one major Wall Street firm. "But if not, then the whole market may plunge, and the rest of the capital markets will react badly."

Sunday night, KKR reached an agreement with its bankers to introduce one covenant, or performance standard, on First Data debt, said the people familiar with the matter. Under the covenant, First Data, a processor of electronic payments, must maintain a certain ratio of earnings before interest payments, depreciation, tax and amortization to its amount of senior debt, these people said. The covenant somewhat reduces risk for investors who buy the debt, though people familiar with the matter say the ratio is modest.

Still, KKR declined to agree to increase fees to the banks to enable them to cut their losses on financing the $24 billion in debt. And more importantly for investors, KKR declined to agree to an increased interest rate on the loans. The concessions were sufficiently toothless, said one banker, to describe them as offering the banks "sleeves on the vest."

The one change the bankers had fought the most fiercely for was for KKR to give ground on the interest rate charged. They argued that First Data is a strong company and by the time KKR sells it, a small increase in interest rates would hardly hurt its overall returns. Their efforts proved unsuccessful.

"First Data has been viewed by many as the deal that would pave the way for other LBO deals to be sold in the market. Unlike many LBOs, the underlying business is strong," said Dave Novosel, an analyst for Gimme Credit LLC, a New York credit-research boutique.

But the fact that KKR moved to appease the market in any way buoyed bankers and could make it harder for other private-equity firms to resist compromising.

It remains unclear, however, whether the modifications will be sufficient for the banks to sell the debt at prices they would like. Most potential buyers have been happy watching from the sidelines. "They think at some point, the banks will conclude that they can't sell at the price they hoped and will dump the debt at more attractive prices," says the head of the financial-sponsors group at one bank.

For weeks, KKR said it wouldn't change the financing contract it had struck with a group of seven banks financing the First Data deal. But behind the scenes, bankers made clear they would work more closely with rival private-equity firms in future deals if KKR refused to make any concessions that they could present to fearful investors.

For now, private-equity firms and bankers will be trying to push through deals already in the pipeline. The banks are expected in October to begin trying to sell off the debt that is part of two more elephantine deals. The first one up is the $24.7 billion buyout of wireless carrier Alltel Corp., which private-equity firm TPG is buying with the private-equity unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. TXU Corp., which KKR and TPG teamed up to buy in a $32 billion buyout, should hit the market shortly after that. Shareholders approved that deal last week, leaving regulatory approval as the final hurdle. Both are strong companies with robust and stable cash flows, making them similar to First Data.

The Alltel deal will offer some of its own drama since Goldman will be on both sides of the table -- with the private-equity arm buying Alltel while the capital-markets side finances the debt for the deal. That places top Goldman executives in a delicate position. They will have to decide which side has to make the greater concessions.

First Data's debut sometime this week will be closely watched as a benchmark for the level of pricing for future deals. In recent days, the loan market has become somewhat more stable. The S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index moved into positive territory in August after an unprecedented loss of 3.35% in July. The August move returned the index to the black year to date, thanks to "a growing sense that July's market selloff had created enough value among precorrection loans to draw in nontraditional accounts," according to Standard & Poor's LCD News and Commentary.

The appetite of hedge funds for First Data and other financings will depend on how much they have to pay for the debt and how much money they can borrow from Wall Street. If First Data comes to market, for example, at 95 cents on the dollar, but the banks are willing to lend hedge funds $3 or $4 for every dollar of the hedge funds' own money, the funds can make solid double-digit returns.

Write to Henny Sender at henny.sender@wsj.com

Source : online.wsj.com

Pakistan's ex-premier back in exile

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Pervez Musharraf's government quickly deported a former prime minister who tried to return home from exile Monday, eliminating a potential challenge to Musharraf but risking heightened political protests and setting up a clash with a newly emboldened Supreme Court.

Two-time Premier Nawaz Sharif, exiled to Saudi Arabia in 2000, flew into Islamabad's airport from London early Monday, a few weeks after the Supreme Court said he had an inalienable right to return home.

But Sharif, who had hoped for a warm welcome from supporters, never got further than the airport lounge.

He was detained by security agents who boarded his plane, threatened him with arrest on corruption allegations and, hours later, put him on a plane to Saudi Arabia.

"They stormed in like bees," said Amjad Malik, a British lawyer for Sharif who accompanied him on the plane. "There was a big hoo-ha. Mr. Sharif may have been hurt, I'm not sure. I'm very worried about his well-being."

On the road to the airport, Sharif supporters carrying "Long live Nawaz" posters were met by hundreds of police officers holding sticks and riot shields and blocking the way. Many of them, including the leaders of his political party, were arrested in chaotic scenes.

Analysts predict ripple effect

While Sharif's deportation marginalized one of Musharraf's biggest foes, analysts said it likely will create other problems for the U.S. ally in the war on terror and deepen resentment of his military rule, which began when he seized power from Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999 and later exiled him.

Critics said the government's reaction to Sharif's return showed just how much the opposition worries Musharraf. Opposition leaders vowed to continue fighting him, both in court and on the streets, and Western officials criticized his government for the way it handled Sharif.

"The decision to deport him runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.

Musharraf, also the country's army chief, faces mounting challenges to winning another 5-year term in an upcoming presidential election.

His popularity has plummeted since an attempt to oust the country's chief justice in March, while Sharif's popularity had skyrocketed, largely because of his anti-Musharraf stance.

Sharif had hoped to rally opposition to the president, possibly mounting his own campaign for the presidency.

On Monday, several legal experts and analysts questioned whether Musharraf could hold onto power for much longer, despite his support from the U.S.

"He can't survive any more as a political entity," said Iftikhar Gilani, a senior lawyer with the Supreme Court and former law minister. "It's the end of him."

Sharif was exiled in 2000 after being sentenced to life in prison, primarily on charges of corruption. As part of the deal, Sharif allegedly agreed to make his home in Saudi Arabia for 10 years. On Monday, Sharif was given a choice to be arrested or deported, the country's official news agency said. He chose to go to Saudi Arabia, officials told Pakistani media, although that could not be independently confirmed.

Government defends action

"Sharif's deportation is in accordance with law and ethics," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told Dawn TV. Aryone World TV showed footage of an official from the government's anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau, reading out the recently resurrected corruption charges to Sharif in the airport lounge.

Musharraf's future will likely be decided by the Pakistani court whose ruling he disregarded Monday.

Since the Supreme Court decided in July to challenge the president and reinstate the country's popular chief justice, it has issued several other major court decisions that have gone against the government.

Until Monday, the government had respected every decision, releasing from prison an opposition leader and alleged Islamic militants who had never been charged with crimes.

Other pending cases could hurt Musharraf directly, including one that challenges his dual role as president and army chief.

On Monday, though, Musharraf showed that he was still very much in charge.

Cell phone coverage was blocked around the airport after the government jammed the networks. Thousands of police, commandos and other security forces set up blockades, using barbed wire, trucks and tractors.

Rows of police blocked some roads, holding batons and riot shields. Officers fired tear gas at pro-Sharif crowds in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

Ahsan Iqbal, the spokesman for Sharif's political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said Monday that 4,000 opposition members had been detained in the run-up to Sharif's return.

Iqbal was arrested a short time later, and the party's secretary general, Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra, was among those arrested on the road to the airport. After Jhagra got out of his vehicle, he joined Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, president of Pakistan from 1998 until 2001. Police and commandos surrounded them.

"This is the former president of the country," shouted Jhagra, his voice shaking. "Please let us go. …Why are we being stopped? I don't know why this is happening. Why are you stopping us, for God's sake?"


Source : www.chicagotribune.com

DNA in car 'matches Madeleine's'

A sample taken from the boot of the hire car used by Madeleine McCann's parents is a "99% match" for the missing girl's DNA, a report claims.

The dramatic claim comes as Portuguese police prepare to hand their file on the case to the public prosecutor for him to consider whether to bring charges against her parents.

Tests returned from the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham on a specimen taken from the McCanns's Renault Scenic showed it was a full match of Madeleine's DNA, unnamed sources told Sky News.

The results prove that the girl's body was in the boot of the car, which was not hired until 25 days after she went missing, the sources said.

But Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, spokesman for the police investigation, denied the report to Portuguese journalists.

Alipio Ribeiro, head of the investigative Policia Judiciaria, also suggested that the forensic tests had not been conclusive.

In Britain, Kate and Gerry McCann faced fresh distress on Monday after social services held talks with police about their other children, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

Police had planned to submit their file to Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses on Monday, but it will now be delivered this morning, Mr Sousa said.

The prosecutor will decide whether the police evidence is strong enough to bring charges against the couple.

This could mean months of agonising waiting for Mr and Mrs McCann, who returned home to Rothley, Leicestershire, on Sunday having been named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

Source : ukpress.google.com

Mexican Rebels Claim Pipeline Attacks

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — A shadowy leftist guerrilla group took credit for a string of explosions that ripped apart at least six Mexican oil and gas pipelines Monday, rattling financial markets and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production.

The six explosions could be seen miles away, and set off fires that sent flames and black smoke shooting high above the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

At least a dozen pipelines, most carrying natural gas, were affected, said Jesus Reyes Heroles, the head of Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, without providing specifics. The explosions occurred in valve stations where different pipelines intersect.

He said there would be hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production and about nine states and the capital, Mexico City, would be affected.

"It is a big blow," he said. "You can't store natural gas or transport it by truck."

The blasts caused brief jitters in international markets, with natural gas futures up as much as 20.2 cents on news of the explosions, although prices dropped in later trading. One oil pipeline was hit in Monday's attack but Pemex said the damage wouldn't affect crude exports.

Some local factories were forced to shut after natural gas supplies were cut. Residential supplies were not expected to be affected.

There were no immediate reports of injuries directly caused by the explosions and fires, although Fernando Leon Yepez, a civil defense official in Omealca, reported that two elderly women died of heart attacks shortly after the explosions.

It was the second time in three months that the so-called People's Revolutionary Army claimed responsibility for a pipeline attack as part of what it has labeled its "prolonged people's war" against "the anti-people government."

The group, known as the EPR, is a secretive, tiny rebel group that staged several armed attacks on government and police installations in southern Mexico in the 1990s. It was later weakened by internal divisions, leaving it unclear which splinter group may have carried out Monday's attacks.

The EPR claimed responsibility for a July attack on a major gas pipeline from Mexico City to Guadalajara in western Mexico that forced at least a dozen major companies, including Honda Motor Co., Kellogg Co. and The Hershey Co., to suspend or scale back operations.

That attack sent the Mexican government scrambling to increase security at "strategic installations" across Mexico. It was not clear what security measures were in place at the pipelines that exploded Monday.

The government did not immediately confirm the EPR's claim of responsibility. Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said the federal Attorney General's Office was trying to determine who was responsible.

"Pemex's fundamental installations are adequately protected by our armed forces, and we will do our utmost to find those responsible," Ramirez said.

At least 21,000 people were evacuated as a precaution. Some of them were later allowed to return home.

Flames could be seen up to six miles away, said Pedro Jimenez, a resident who was packing his family into a truck to leave. "You could see the fields of crops lit up."

At least one undetonated explosive device was later found beside a pipeline in a swampy area about 500 yards from a highway toll booth just north of the port of Veracruz, state civil defense coordinator Ismael Reyes said.

President Felipe Calderon condemned the attacks in a statement from India, where he was on a state visit.

"I want to say that my government severely condemns this and all other acts of violence and those who promote it in our country and anywhere in the world," he said. "There is no room for such criminal acts in a democratic Mexico."

Mexico is a major oil producer and exporter, with oil and related taxes accounting for over a third of the federal government's revenue. The U.S. imported 12.7 million cubic feet of natural gas from Mexico in 2006, only about 0.3 percent of total imports that year.

Source : ap.google.com

Craig Asks Court to Let Him Withdraw His Plea of Guilty

Lawyers for Senator Larry E. Craig filed court papers yesterday asking that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in a Minnesota airport sex sting.

In an affidavit, Mr. Craig said that he was “deeply panicked” in the aftermath of his arrest June 11 on suspicion of soliciting a plainclothes officer in a men’s room at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and that, with an Idaho newspaper already investigating his sexuality, he signed a guilty plea on Aug. 1 to try to keep the arrest from being disclosed.

Patrick Hogan, director of public affairs for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which employs both the airport police and the prosecutor in the case, responded to the filing by saying the authorities would vigorously defend their handling of the matter. “We continue to feel we have a solid case where the arrest was made and several weeks later a plea was filed and the fine was paid,” Mr. Hogan said in a telephone interview. “So the case is closed.”

Mr. Craig’s affidavit was filed in Hennepin County District Court, where, Mr. Hogan said, the prosecutor may file a response later this week.

Mr. Craig’s guilty plea was disclosed two weeks ago after an anonymous tip to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. Since then, Mr. Craig, Republican of Idaho, has been stripped of his seniority status in committees and become the subject of a Senate ethics complaint by Republican leaders, who have shunned him. He has said he intends to resign Sept. 30 if he cannot win withdrawal of his plea and a successful resolution of the ethics complaint by then.

The standard for withdrawing a guilty plea in Minnesota is correction of “manifest injustice.” Mr. Craig’s lawyers said a guilty plea must be “accurate, voluntary and intelligent.”

The senator, they wrote, was panicked that the arrest would be made public and allow The Idaho Statesman to publish a “baseless article” about his sexuality. The newspaper had conducted a five-month investigation and had interviewed Mr. Craig four weeks before his arrest at the airport.

“While in this state of intense anxiety,” the lawyers wrote, “Senator Craig felt compelled to grasp the lifeline offered to him by the police officer; namely, that if he were to submit to an interview and plead guilty, then none of the officer’s allegations would be made public.”

The officer said Mr. Craig had peeped into his stall, entered the adjacent stall, touched the officer’s foot with his own and made hand signals known to be silent code for soliciting sex in the restroom. Mr. Craig denied all charges in the interview, conducted minutes after the arrest, and said the officer had solicited him and entrapped him.

Mr. Craig was initially charged with interference with privacy, punishable by up to a year in jail, and disorderly conduct, punishable by up to 90 days. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and drew a 10-day suspended sentence, a $500 fine and one year of probation.

Fred L. Morrison, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, said: “Minnesota law allows a plea to be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances. Those requests are rarely made and, when made, are rarely granted, and if granted, they cause the original criminal complaint to re-emerge. That means both charges.”

Source :www.nytimes.com

Dems' questions in español, answers in English

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the only Hispanic presidential candidate, says he was prevented from speaking his ancestral tongue by Democratic "front-runners" Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at the first-ever Spanish-language debate last night.

The 2008 hopefuls who gathered for the Univision forum at the University of Miami agreed to field moderators' questions in Spanish, listen to an English translation, and give their answers exclusively in English.

Richardson, a Mexican-American who speaks fluent Spanish, said the restrictions amounted to imposing an "English only" policy on an event that was meant to showcase the emerging importance of 43 million Spanish-speaking Americans.

"I was under the impression that in this debate Spanish would be permitted," said Richardson, who served as former President Bill Clinton's United Nations ambassador and energy secretary. "I am very disappointed that [viewers] are not allowed to hear one of their own speak Spanish."

Richardson and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who is also fluent in Spanish, did get off a few words in the language, much to the dismay of Univision broadcaster Maria Elena Salinas.

After the debate, Richardson claimed the "front-runners said we couldn't have one of the candidates speaking Spanish," adding: "I only agreed reluctantly to the rules because I didn't want to boycott the first Spanish debate."

Clinton adviser Maria Cardona said Univision set the policy and "the candidates had nothing to do with the rules." A network official said they had imposed the rule to "guarantee an even playing field," but said that Clinton and other non-speakers had backed the "No Spanish" rule.

The debate was an acknowledgment of the influence of 16 million Hispanic voters, who are the fastest-growing part of the American electorate. Despite President George W. Bush's attempts to woo Hispanics to the Republican party, half identify themselves as Democrats, while only about a quarter say they're loyal to the GOP. The network's Republican debate has been postponed.

Last night's debate focused on core issues for Spanish-speaking Americans, topics that have largely been ignored in previous debates, including the future of Cuba, aid to Central and South America, bilingual education and the plight of Hispanic homeowners who risk foreclosure in the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

The moderators were eager to hold candidates accountable for votes that were unpopular among Latinos. Clinton, Obama and Dodd were grilled about their vote in favor of the construction of a border fence between the United States and Mexico.

Both Clinton and Obama sidestepped the question, stressing their support of the Bush administration's defeated immigration reform package, which included a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. "We can't just have hundreds of thousands of people coming into the country and not know who they are," Obama said in defense of the wall.

Moderators read an e-mail from viewer Pilar Martinez of Long Island, who asked the candidates to commit to revisiting immigration reform during their first year in office. All seven agreed.

Richardson, who ranks fourth in most polls but has been gaining steadily in several key states, seemed determined to battle against his relative obscurity - and his own Anglo surname.

"A lot of Hispanics don't even know I'm Hispanic," he told reporters. "Hey, my name's Richardson."

BY GLENN THRUSH | glenn.thrush@newsday.com

September 10, 2007

Source : www.newsday.com

The bottom line: A drawdown is coming

WASHINGTON—For all the drama surrounding the testimony that military and diplomatic leaders will deliver to Congress this week about the war in Iraq, the real show will play out afterward, as the White House and Democratic congressional leaders vie for control over when the U.S. will start scaling back its forces there.

President Bush has repeatedly hinted that once Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker make their cases in congressional hearings Monday and Tuesday—they are expected to say the current troop "surge" is making Iraq safer—the president may be able to discuss bringing some troops home.

Planning a national address this week, Bush has promised to "lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq" that the public "and their elected leaders of both parties can support."

Democratic leaders, supported by some military experts, insist that because of the strains on the military from the escalation of forces and the extended deployments of soldiers and Marines, some scale-back is inevitable by spring. Democrats also say that, for all the resistance that Republican leaders are showing to a timeline for withdrawal at this stage, the closer they get to the elections of November 2008, the happier they will be to see a reduced U.S. presence in Iraq.

Some GOP converts

With Congress facing a rush of reports this month reflecting mixed progress in Iraq's bid to gain control over its security—and even less movement toward political reconciliation — Democratic leaders plan to push for a firm withdrawal timeline.

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said some Republicans already are moving in that direction and suggested that the negotiations will be mostly over the speed of the de-escalation.

"They may say 5,000, we may say 25,000; they may say X date, we may say Y date," Emanuel said. "But those are details."

He added, "I won't be surprised if [the withdrawal] doesn't start in 2007, but I think it is going to start to happen in short order."

Bush and his supporters have long resisted a withdrawal timeline, saying that would set a "surrender date" and embolden the insurgents.

But last week the president, citing recent meetings with Petraeus and Crocker in Iraq, told reporters with him in Iraq's Anbar province that he can envision a smaller force there.

"They told me that if ... security conditions still improve the way they have been improving ... we may be able to provide the same security with fewer troops," Bush said.

Congress set a deadline of Sept. 15 to receive Petraeus' report, prompting a spate of other evaluations on progress in Iraq, some official and some not. But the judgment of Petraeus and Crocker is attracting the most attention.

In the end, Congress is likely to produce a compromise that marries the political and military realities in Iraq with the politics of an unpopular war at home.

Some lawmakers are promoting a bill to implement the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which said U.S. combat forces should start to withdraw early next year and serve primarily as training and support for Iraqi forces. Others suggest linking any continued war funding to a 15-month cap on individual troop deployments, effectively forcing the military to scale back in the spring.

Artificial deadline

Some analysts note that the Sept. 15 deadline is artificial.

"The truth is that Sept. 15 is going to come and go," said Anthony Cordesman, senior fellow and military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "And it's going to be Sept. 20 and beyond, and a lot of the problems in the surge are going to become more apparent, and the lack of political reconciliation."

The other key date, perhaps, is Nov. 4, 2008—Election Day in the United States. As that date approaches, many Democrats believe Republicans will face growing pressure to support a significant troop withdrawal.

The security gains since the U.S. boosted its presence in Iraq by nearly 30,000 troops to 160,000 this year vary by region, experts say. But even the administration, which insists the military improvement has been significant, acknowledges little progress in restoring political stability in Iraq. Iraqi leaders have failed to reconcile warring religious factions inside police forces, as well as on the streets.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported recently that Iraq had failed to reach most of the 18 milestones set by Congress.

By Mark Silva | Washington Bureau

1:45 AM CDT, September 10, 2007

Source : www.chicagotribune.com

Philips says no layoffs needed to reach 2010 target

AMSTERDAM, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Dutch Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research)(PHG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it will not layoff any workers in order to reach its new target of doubling earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation per share by 2010 from 2007. "There will be no forced redundancies because we believe with the normal turnover that we have ... that we all can do that in a natural way," Philips Chief Executive Gerard Kleisterlee told reporters in a conference call.

Philips announced earlier on Monday that is reorganising into three units focussing on healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, which would cut costs by 150 million to 200 million euros ($205-$274 million).

((Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; gilbert.kreijger@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: gilbert.kreijger.reuters.com@reuters.net; +31 20 504 5007))

($1=.7305 Euro) Keywords: PHILIPS/JOBS

(C) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution ofReuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expresslyprohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuterssphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group ofcompanies around the world.nWEB7391

Source : www.reuters.com

US military chief in Iraq verdict

America's military commander in Iraq will deliver his assessment on Monday of the effectiveness of President George Bush's "surge" of additional troops, in a report to Congress which will have profound implications for the future of Britain's commitment.

General David Petraeus is widely expected to say that the extra 20,000-plus US troops sent to Iraq since January have significantly reduced sectarian violence and should be extended.

Gen Petraeus was appointed commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq in January to implement President Bush's "New Way Forward" plan, which envisaged an increase in troop numbers to quell insurgent activity in Baghdad and give the national government space to establish effective structures for security and governance.

His appearance before Congress alongside US Ambassador Ryan Crocker comes ahead of a report on the war which President Bush must deliver by September 15.

The general foreshadowed his probable verdict in a recent letter to US forces in which he wrote: "My sense is that we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq."

But doubts over the ability of the Iraqi government to take advantage of any improvements in the security situation were raised by last week's report by the US Government Accountability Office, which found it had failed to meet 11 of 18 benchmarks for political reform.

A second study by retired US Marine general James Jones warned that American-trained Iraqi forces will not be ready to take on combat duties alone for 12 to 18 months.

"Our future role in Iraq should be put at the top of the political agenda."

Source : ukpress.google.com

Fresh Ways to Burn More Calories

Jump in the water, hop on a swing, or run with a hound to burn more calories this summer—sans gym membership.

by Bethany Lye

From hula-hooping to picking berries, we’ve got 18 surprising ways to rev up your heart rate and help you slim down.

Boosting your heart rate keeps your heart in top form and burns serious calories—no gym membership required. Here are 18 simple, surprising tips to help you get your heart pumping this summer.

1. Move your workout into the water. The next time you’re at the beach or poolside, take a break from lounge-chair languishing and try a shallow-water workout instead. Walking through thigh-deep water burns nearly twice as many calories as walking on land.
Total burn: More than 210 calories per half-hour

2. Hold the ’07 Olympic trials in your backyard. The real Games may be a year off, but you can make your mark in the garden-rock shot put or sandbox long jump. Choose your favorite summer Olympic sport and tweak it to make it backyard-friendly. Then gather all the friends and family you can and go for the gold.
Total burn: 170 calories per half-hour

3. Adopt a stretch of park or beach and keep it clean. Picking up trash can help both your community and your heart. Start by recruiting buddies, then crank up some fast-paced tunes on your boom box or MP3 player and get to work. All that squatting and lunging will leave you—and the land—looking beautiful.
Total burn: 102 calories per half-hour

4. Take a bike tour of a nearby city. Explore new neighborhoods, or grab a friend and a map to create your own sightseeing trip. Your heart will be racing in no time.
Total burn: Around 270 calories per half-hour at a moderate pace

5. Pick your own berries. Get a full-body workout while you gather fresh fruit. Walk the fields at a nearby farm, pick to your heart’s content, then carry the berry-filled baskets back to your car. To find a local farm, visit pickyourown.org.
Total burn: 102 calories per half-hour

6. “Test out” playground equipment. 170 calories per half-hour

7. Crank up the iPod and get your groove on. 153 calories per half-hour

8. Go canoeing. 119 calories per half-hour

9. Scale the longest staircase in town. 272 calories per half-hour

10. Get spinning with a hula hoop. 153 calories per half-hour

11. Jog on the beach. 238 calories per half-hour

12. Twirl a jump rope. 340 calories per half-hour

13. Play a game of tennis—with no out-of-bounds. 238 calories per half-hour

14. Volunteer to walk dogs at a local shelter. 102 calories per half-hour

15. Take a self-defense class. 340 calories per half-hour

16. Listen to books on tape while walking the chapters away. 129 calories per half-hour

17. Cultivate a garden of your family’s favorite veggies. 136 calories per half-hour

18. Pack a picnic and hike to the perfect spot. 238 calories per half-hour

Note: All calorie estimates are based on a 150-pound woman.

Source : www.health.com

When Bad Hair Happens to Good People

by Caitlin Losey

Hair repair tips from the pros.

Everyone has bad hair days, but what do you do when an unbearable cut, color, or perm happens to you? These emergencies deserve expert attention. Read on to find step-by-step instructions from salon professionals on handling your hazardous hair.

Emergency: Terrible Trim
You look like an ill-tempered kindergartener cut your hair.
Step 1: Put Down the Scissors. Taming your trim at home “will most likely make it much worse,” says Melissa Bridgers of OC-61 salon in New York City. “A stylist will have more ideas and experience to suggest ways to reshape."

Step 2: Call a Salon (and for the record Supercuts is not a salon). Bridger says “call a stylist immediately, even if you have to leave a message. Most stylists will do their best to make time for you.” If you return to the same salon, you shouldn’t be charged for a fix. If this is a home trim, “be flexible, make yourself available for a good portion of the day,” Bridger suggests. Hang out at the salon, so when an opening comes up, you can slip in.

Emergency: Pitiful Perm
You wanted Sarah Jessica Parkers’ wavy locks, but instead you look like Richard Simmons!

Step 1: Wash your hair. Perms take 24 hours to set; washing may prevent the texture treatment from taking effect.

Step 2: “Use a deep conditioner or a hot oil treatment”, says Tracy Jones of Paul Mitchell: The School in Danbury, Connecticut, this will relax the hair and prevent any help repair damage from the perm.

Step 3: If all else fails, call a professional. Bridgers recommends doing so within two weeks. The simplest solution may be layering the hair, which can help the shape of the body. A gentle treatment will also relax the perm “without making it stick straight.” Good stylists will work with you until you are satisfied with your hair. If you’re afraid to go back to the same stylist, ask around and find one with lots of perm experience. Be sure to describe what your hair has endured.

Emergency: Catastrophic Color
You wanted to be a blonde bombshell, but your hair just looks bombed.

Step 1: Don’t attempt to fix it yourself. Hair coloring is complicated—even some stylists don’t do color. Seek a seasoned professional.

Step 2: Make an appointment within a week so that you are not charged to color additional growth. Find a color expert and arrange for a consultation (almost always free) so they can assess your color disaster. “Color correction is an intensive process; which may require several appointments and be very expensive,” Bridgers says.

Step 3: It is much easier to darken light colors than to lighten locks that have gone too dark, Jones says. Adding a semi-permanent gloss, which is less harsh, can darken your shade. When a color requires lightening, the hair must be stripped. This can cause more damage and dry our your tresses, which is why using an experienced colorist is your best bet.

Source : www.health.com

Real Beauty, Real Health

by Lisa Delaney

Health traveled across the country looking for women who personify real health and real beauty. The women we found on our 2006 Real Beauty Road Tour echoed what we at Health believe: Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, all ages and ethnicities. In the links below, you’ll get to know some of these beautiful women through their own words and the portraits of British fashion and beauty photographer Nigel Barker.

Source :