8:13:20

Els happy with renewed putting touch

World number five Ernie Els was relieved to regain some putting touch in the BMW International Open first round in Munich, Germany, on Thursday after what he called an awful time on the greens in last week's US Open.

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Els, who shot a five-under par 67 at Eichenried to feature among the early leaders, finished tied 51st at Oakmont, where in 1994 he won the major after a playoff with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts.

"I didn't hit the ball too badly last week, hit quite a few fairways and greens, but my putting was just awful," the South African told reporters after his opening round at Eichenried.

"If you're off on any part of your game, it was really going to be exposed at Oakmont, but I played the course basically the same way I played it in '94, apart from the putting.

13:20:32

Putting Designers In The Driver's Seat

Clay Dean's bosses at General Motors Corp (GM ). have lofty expectations--perhaps insanely so--for the new Chevrolet Malibu. The family sedan, which Dean spent three years designing, must compete with the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and is supposed to sell 20% better than its predecessor. Even Toyota Motor Corp. (TM )would be hard-pressed to hit that target. .

15:09:40

Big car owners want quirk-fixes

NEW DELHI: A Texas ranger who wanted to immortalise his pet cow after it died asked a bunch of BMW designers to customise his car's upholstery with its hide. Indian high-end car buyers may not go to such great lengths but they do have their quirks. While some insist on a particular shade of champagne, others are wont to pick up show models, no matter what the cost. And the snootier the car, the quirkier some of the requests that come with it. Take BMW. Its M6 show car that was on display in one of its dealerships attracted the attention of a customer who wanted it right there, right then. "The dealer tried to explain that it was a show car but the customer was persistent and in the end, the car was sold," says BMW India president Peter Kronschnabl. BMW's 7 Series customers routinely ask for some nifty bells and whistles.

21:36:53

Shares boost for ITIS

SHARES in traffic data business ITIS Holdings motored to their highest level for two years after the Altrincham-based firm unveiled annual turnover and profits ahead of market expectations and announced its maiden dividend. The shares gained 2.56 per cent, or 2p, to 80p, valuing the AIM-listed company at 拢80m. Sales during the year to March 31 climbed 30.3 per cent from 拢14.42m to 拢18.79m while pre-tax profits before exceptional items rocketed from 拢1.63m to 拢3.9m. ITIS is to pay a dividend of 1.5p a share. In March, ITIS sold its stolen vehicle tracking division NavTrak to an Italian business to leave it focused on traffic data collection. It gathers information about traffic flows to warn drivers about congestion and to help highways authorities and other bodies with their planning for road improvement schemes.

16:55:50

World Superbike: Test Dates Announced

The SBK development teams participating in the tests are: Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra (Biaggi-Kagayama), Ducati Xerox (Bayliss-Lanzi), PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse (Laconi-Nieto), Winston Ten Kate Honda (Toseland-Rolfo), Yamaha Motor Italia (Haga-Corser).

The SS development teams are: Winston Ten Kate Honda (Charpentier-Sofuoglu), Kawasaki Gil Motorsport (Foret and Riba), Suzuki Hoegee (Veneman-Kalio) and Yamaha Germany (Parkes).

The FGSport and Development tests will take place on 7th and 8th July at Vallelunga and will see involved all SBK and SS teams.

The development test already scheduled for the 2008 season are:
25th-26th-27th November: Qatar - Development Team Test
8th-9th January: Phillip Island - Development team Test



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13:33:30

Doctors warn - Kubica return could be fatal

The Pole, limping only slightly, checked out of hospital on Monday following his frightening high-speed crash in Montreal just 24 hours earlier, vowing to be ready to race at Indianapolis.

But Hamburg-based Dr Bernd Kabelka told Germany's Bild newspaper that Kubica risks death if he sustains another concussion at Indianapolis, which features concrete-lined banking that only a few years ago left Ralf Schumacher unconscious and in hospital.

"Sensory and motor losses are possible, so are memory gaps and visual disturbances," he said.

"In the worst case the brain can swell and the pressure can be fatal.

"I consider it extremely dangerous for Kubica to drive again straight away."

F1's former doctor Professor Sid Watkins, meanwhile, is also quoted as saying that the risk of serious injury with a second concussion is "quite high".

20:55:01

CEO Poker Launches Flash Online Marketing Campaign to Promote ...

Los Angeles, CA (FV Newswire) - CEO Poker, an Executive Games company, launches a Flash online marketing campaign today, to promote the 2007 CEO Poker Tournament hosted by the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 19-25, 2007. "Using an eye-catching Flash evite, with background music, was a great way to convey to poker players our unique brand and event," says William Peraza, CEO, CEOPoker. "Poker players are not used to receiving unique Flash driven advertisements for poker events, giving us a marketing edge."

The Flash evite, which depicts a variety of images of executives playing poker, with details about the Trump Taj event, set to music, will be sent to over 100,000 registered poker players nationwide and will be placed on the ceopokertour.com website for visitors to see.

21:02:23

Stanley 2 Hereford 0

DAVID Brown should have been celebrating his fourth goal of the season. Instead he was bemoaning his first sending off.

It was with a heavy heart that the striker greeted his former Hereford colleagues, just over an hour after he had set up current club Accrington Stanley's first back-to-back wins since September, and the first time the Reds had kept back-to-back clean sheets in League Two, with Peter Cavanagh wrapping things up in the second half with his second in as many games.

It was more sweet-bitter than bitter-sweet for Brown.

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8:24:50

VISTA GETS LIVE-WIRED FOR PC GAMES IN MAY

Microsoft has said that it is planning to launch games for Windows Live on May 8. The release aims to ensure that Windows Vista gamers will be able to log onto games for Windows - Live, with the same functionality. The company said Games for Windows would ensure that your account will not be booked to your PC only, but can be shared with your Xbox Live account, and visa-versa. Users will be able to share gamer scores; friend lists between Xbox 360 and your PC. The user will also be able to log into their account from both."Right now, we're focusing on what matters most, which we really think is gaming," Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg marketing manager explained.The price of the service will be the same as the Xbox Live service. Silver memberships will be free, whereas Gold memberships will cost USD 49.99.The company also mentioned that users with an already existing Xbox Live membership would not have to pay anything extra to use the service on Windows Vista.The launch of Games for WindowsLive marks an expansion of the Xbox Live service across multiple platforms, uniting gamers with a single identity, a single gamer tag, a single friends list and a single list of achievements attainable on the Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC.

11:35:39

Motorola Launches PDA MOTOROKR E6

Commented Malcolm Dawe, vice president, Motorola, and general manager, Motorola India Mobile Devices, "MOTOROKR E6's greatest advantage lies in its design and its unique mix of lifestyle-focused features. E6 has been specifically designed to create superior experiences around video, music, games and photos. Whether you want to capture special moments on camera, listen to music anytime, anywhere, play games or movies, or even check your e-mail while on the go, E6 makes it all simple and easy."

Commenting on the launch of MOTOROKR E6, MOTOSTAR Abhishek Bachchan said, "Dedicated music keys, expandable memory, movie watching and movie-making capabilities, plus all of the essential business tools, are just the beginning - E6 is truly the ultimate entertainment PDA. The new MOTOROKR handset offers you a superior mobile multimedia experience in a stylish device that lets you create, enjoy and share your music, videos, photos and games, all while managing your work and your life."

The new mobile from Motorola has the following features: 2.0 mega pixel camera with 8x digital zoom to capture the moment; CIF and QVGA video capture for up to 5 hours; full screen video playback; integrated MP3 player with dedicated music keys and built-in FM radio; PDA featuring business card reader, POP3 e-mail, document viewer to view PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, PPT, etc.; connectivity includes integrated stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, HTML Browser, hi-speed USB 2.0 EMU, 3.5 mm stereo jack; and removable SD memory card slot, up to 2GB SD Card support; 8MB dynamic user memory.

10:00:20

Sony lists games compatible with PlayStation 3

Reuters: Sony Corp. on Tuesday moved to head off a public relations disaster by announcing which older PlayStation 2 games will work on the European version of the PlayStation 3 console due out on Friday.Sony said last month that the PS3 model to be launched in Europe would lack a chip used in the earlier models introduced in Japan and North America in November last year.

The function of the chip would be replaced by software, making the console cheaper to produce but taking away the almost full backward compatibility enabling PS2 games to play on PS3.

Sony's website lists games that should work. "If your game is not listed here, emulation is not yet supported on PlayStation 3," it says.

The acceptance of the new PS3, with reduced compatibility, will have a big impact on Sony's earnings.

stocks and investing

Liberal Opposition Forces Flaherty Flip-Flop

OTTAWA - Following weeks of pressure from the Liberal Opposition, Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty has finally reversed himself on a policy that threatened to undermine our businesses on the global stage, open them up to foreign takeover, and cost us jobs at home, Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum said today. "We are happy to see the Minister has seen the Liberal light on this issue and, for once, bowed to reason," said Mr. McCallum. "This is a complete reversal of an ill-conceived budget measure that would have seriously compromised the ability of Canadian multinationals to compete on the world stage, and that would have hurt us at home by putting thousands of jobs at risk." The Minister announced this morning that interest deductibility would be preserved for Canadian companies investing abroad, and that the policy would now target so-called "double-dippers" - those companies that claim the same deduction in multiple jurisdictions.

lloyds brokers

Kensington Group sells sub-prime broker TML

The Kensington Group has sold its specialist mortgage and remortgage provider TML Financial Solutions to Customer Financial Solutions.

The deal follows Kensington's sale of a 拢2 billion loan folder to Bradford & Bingley (BB.) last month and a profit warning earlier this year.

The company had struggled to integrate sub-prime broker TML, also known as The Mortgage Lender, since a 2002 buy-out described by brokers as 鈥榩retty disastrous'.

Kensington shares rose to 579p on the announcement but fell back to 577p by lunchtime. It had earlier said that it was considering options on asset sales.

Customer Financial Solutions has not revealed what it paid for the 200-strong company based in Whiteley, Hampshire, which has annual sales of around 拢400 million.

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online investing

National Real Estate Investment Club Acquires OC VIP Investor

PLEASANTON, Calif., May 15, 2007 -- National Real Estate Investment Club (NREI Club) has recently announced the acquisition of OC VIP Investor. With this acquisition, NREI Club is now able to provide all OC VIP Investor members with top-notch, nationally known speakers as well as investment opportunities provided only to large block buying groups. Both companies will work together to build strong long-term mutually beneficial relationships with their clients in real estate investments.

OC VIP Investor is a Professional Membership Organization in the Southern California Area, which trains and supports its members in developing effective skills and practices for successful real estate investing. With their knowledge, they help investors determine the best real estate markets and provide pre-screened investment opportunities nationwide.

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Fractional Fairytale: The dream of owning a vacation home can come ...

In the last 10 years, buying a second home has become the epitome of the American dream. Homeownership may have marked entry into the promised land, but it was the vacation property that fueled the most ecstatic visions: wineries, beach houses, pieds-à-terre and mountain cabins. These were not places where people lived, worked and paid bills, but where life unfolded according to the seasons, with the ebb and flow of recreation, family reunions and private retreats.

As the real estate boom crested, the second-home market swelled as well, even helping to stem falling prices when the boom busted. In 2005, second-home sales rose more than twice as fast as all new single-family-home sales and nearly four times faster than all resale homes, according to the National Association of Realtors.

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Sales Can't Buy Love for Some Top Bands

Young people who "are introduced to these bands on the radio, they don't have a lot of baggage," Brackett said. "A lot of kids don't care if an act, you know, kind of took their guitar sound from some other band."

Post-grunge outfits like Nickelback and Hinder continue to be popular — or wreak havoc, whatever your opinion — in part because they appeal to the estrogen set, said Craig Marks, editor in chief of Blender magazine. A "slightly hipper band" will sell more albums to guys than girls, he said.

"They're selling a lot of records to very casual music fans who don't buy a lot of CDs," Marks said. "When you're selling 5 million albums like Nickelback or 2 1/2 million like Hinder, and especially when you're making your mark with big ballads that are kind of wedding songs, then you're selling records to both males and females.

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Couple feels fallout of ethical investing

In Victoria, a couple we'll call Henry and Theresa insist that their investments be socially responsible. At their respective ages of 39 and 37, they work for units of the B.C. government and have advanced degrees, though little knowledge of capital markets.

Over the years, they have entrusted their money to mutual funds and money managers linked to what they have insisted be ethical investing. They have put their social principles ahead of asset selection, with what have turned out to be mostly below average returns by the majority of their mutual funds, which they have used for their registered retirement savings plans and their two children's registered education savings plans.

What our expert says

Facelift asked Derek Moran, president of Smarter Financial Planning Ltd.

investors business daily

Dividend Capital Total Realty Trust Announces Joint Venture with ...

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dividend Capital Total Realty Trust Inc., a diversified real estate investment trust (REIT), announced today that it has closed on a joint venture with Developers Diversified (NYSE: DDR), the leading owner, manager and developer of market-dominant community centers in the United States.

Developers Diversified has sold a portfolio of three newly developed properties totaling approximately 1.5 million square feet (675,000 square feet owned) to the joint venture for a purchase price of $161.5 million. Dividend Capital Total Realty Trust owns 90% of the joint venture, with Developers Diversified retaining a 10% interest. Developers Diversified will also provide asset management and property management services on behalf of the joint venture.

The retail centers are located in the Raleigh, NC, Philadelphia, PA and Pittsburgh, PA, markets, respectively.

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GSE Council to decide on share pricing

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) Council is expected to take a decision on whether share prices should be quoted to four or two decimal places.

At a meeting in Accra recently, involving GSE officials and the brokers, no decision to choose one of the two options was reached. The final decision must be made before the end of June.

However, in an interview with BusinessWeek, Philip Abodoh of First Atlantic Brokerage indicated that trading to two decimal places means there would be changes in value, in which investors would lose huge sums of their investment.

He cited, as an instance, the share price of Super Paper, which trades at 225 and when the new cedi is introduced will become 2.25 pesewas, thus causing investors to lose the 0.25 pesewas.

He noted however, that trading to four decimal places means that the losses in old currency and the gain in new cedis will be the same, and there will not be changes in value.

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Should I max out my 401(k) or also invest in other retirement ...

When it comes to planning for retirement, more is always better than less, financial planners say. Let members of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Indiana fill you in on the details. For a list of area financial planners, visit the group's Web site at www.fpagrindiana.org. .