The economy grew at its slowest pace for three years during the first quarter because of stuttering growth in the UK services sector.

GDP rose by 0.4 per cent in the first three months of the year, down from a 0.6 per cent increase in the final quarter of 2007, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The annual rate of growth slowed from 2.8 per cent in the fourth quarter to 2.5 per cent in 2008, below expectations of a 2.6 per cent rise.

The credit freeze weighed on the pace of growth in the UK’s services sector, which accounts for about 75 per cent of the country’s GDP. Growth slowed to 0.6 per cent.

Within services, finance and business services were hardest hit, with growth falling from 0.6 per cent to 0.4 per cent in the first quarter.

A weaker performance from mining and quarry firms also offset increases from manufacturers causing industrial output — accounting for 19 per cent of the economy — to shrink by 0.1 per cent in the opening three months of the year.

The Government forecasts that the economy will grow by between 1.75 per cent and 2.25 per cent this year, while most economists are more circumspect in their predictions.

Alan Clarke, UK economist for BNP Paribas, said: “Given the likely reverse in the strength of retail sales combined with continued deterioration elsewhere in the breakdown — particularly financial and real estate — growth is likely to be even slower in the coming quarters.”

The gloomy figures will put more pressure on the Bank of England to consider a rate cut next month to boost the flagging economy.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist for Global Insight, the economic consultancy, said: “We expect the Bank of England to trim interest rates by a further 25 basis points to 4.75 per cent in June, and would not rule out a move as early as May if credit conditions remain tight.”

David Kern, economic adviser of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Whilst the new figures do not signal a recession, they highlight the need for corrective action to ensure that the credit crunch and the squeeze on consumer spending do not worsen the downward pressures on the economy.

“We continue to urge the MPC [Monetary Policy Committee] to announce a modest cut in interest rates to 4.75 per cent in May.”

source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article3814472.ece

Popularity: 84% [?]

Fabio Capello, the England manager, insists David Beckham still has an international future. Capello included Beckham in the England to play France last month, a game in which the midfielder won his 100th cap, and when the former Real Madrid manager was asked whether he would still be a part of his plans come the 2010 World Cup, he gave the one-time England captain plenty of reason for optimism.

“It’s still open,” Capello said. “He [Beckham] played in the last game, he did well against France, and I sometimes go to see him in Los Angeles.”

Despite leaving the door open for Beckham, Capello insisted his selection would be entirely dependent on him maintaining his fitness. He added: “It depends, there are players who at 33 or 34 take good care of themselves, they understand that the body is not as it was and they take more care. It depends a lot on that.”

Since taking on the role in January, Capello has gradually adapted to English life, although he explained he was still adapting to his new role.

“It’s all new for me,” he added. “I was used to working daily with clubs and now it’s different. The job is very different from that of a club coach. At the moment I have only had the opportunity to train for five days. Only five days. I think I am becoming more integrated every day. I need some time, like in all jobs.

“I read a lot, I travel a lot and I see a lot of football. A couple of weeks ago I saw three games in a weekend - one at Tottenham, one in Liverpool and one in Manchester.”

The Italian also said that while his English had now reached a good level, he was reluctant to speak to the press in the language for fear of being misinterpreted. Capello experienced problems with translation in Spain two years ago, when he mistakenly labelled Fernando Torres, then with Atletico Madrid, a ‘tramposo’ - which translates as cheat.

“I can speak English” he added. “But I don’t want to speak English with the press, because if you get a word wrong it can make big headlines. That happened to me in Spain after a Real Madrid versus Atletico match, when I wanted to refer to Torres and asked the Madrid press officer how to say something and he replied ‘tramposo’. That wasn’t exactly what I wanted to say and it caused a tremendous scandal.”

Capello has been impressed with the Premier League since his arrival in England, although he admits the prominence of foreign players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Torres, could pose long-term problems for the national team. Reports today have suggested Capello would like to resurrect the England versus Scotland matches, and he insists the SPL provides a better basis for the national team.

“Some really good football is being played in England. At the moment it is the best league [in Europe], but then you have Arsenal, who play fantastic football and are out of the Champions League,” he said. “Our problem is that we have only 38 per cent of the players. There are Welsh players, Irish and Scots. In Spain and Italy, for example, 70 per cent of the players can be called up.”

The Italian added that the influx of Rafael Benitez and Juande Ramos have helped to improve the standard of football in England and have allied the passion of the Premier League with an improvement in technical ability.

“They have implanted this new philosophy, a new touch system, not only long balls, so that is good for English football,” he added. “Liverpool have never had a player like Torres. He is playing phenomenally well. He could be one of the stars of Euro 2008. He is enjoying a very good spell and he is also finishing better than he did at Atletico Madrid. Fabregas is a brilliant player. He is one of the best midfielders in the world.”

Despite England’s absence from Euroo 2008 this summer, Capello will be keeping one eye on the tournament and has tipped France, Italy and Spain, to win the tournament.

“France have a very good team,” he said. “They have good players and a lot of quality. Italy have a good national team and then there is Spain. I always put them among then favourites. They have a great team.”

source:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article3815024.ece

Popularity: 73% [?]

Bollywood femme fatal Mallika Sherawat may have made her list of aasiques long with a fan following consisting from directors, producers and crazy-going audience, but her banging luck still couldn’t open the door of biggies of Bollywood.

And hyping jealousy enough, the almost unknown face of the recent flop Red Swastick, Sherlyn Chopra, has managed her alley to the Yash Raj films just after a sizzling appearance in the music album Outrageous.

Mallika may have worked with top actors of Bollywood such as Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Rekha, Dharmendra and many like them but working under real big banners has always been dreams of most of the industry people. And Mallika, being a beautiful part of the industry, may not be very different from others.

Well, whatever be the fact or fiction, fans of this bomb-shell have something to cheer for as the actress would soon be seen portraying different characters in her upcoming films. Mallika is reliving the character of Anarakali in Sanjay Chel’s Maan Gaye Mughle Azam. On the other hand Mallika would be seen opposite Ranveer Shourey in Pritish Nandi’s comic chapter Agli Aur Pagli. Apart from these the actress is also working in Ravi Walia’s Fauj Mein Mauj and Kamal Hassan’s Southee flick Dashavataram where she is portraying the character of an I A agent.

Only time would tell whether these films would help Mallika in making an impression to help in grabbing big banners or not. If she succeeds in it, then the next question will arise as whether she will be able to maintain a good rapport with the biggies. Since, we all are aware the kind of bitter relationship she shares with Mahesh Bhatt who bestowed her with Murder, the biggest hit in Mallika’s career.

http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=52616

Popularity: 69% [?]

Q. How would you define fashion?
A. Fashion is what makes one comfortable.

Q. Where do you normally shop for your clothes?
A. It depends, but I buy clothes mostly when I go abroad.

Q. Which brands do you usually buy?
A. I prefer Guess or Cavalli.

Q. Do you often attend fashion shows?
A. No, actually I don`t get time.

Q. Who is your favourite fashion designer?
A. Myself. I mix and match and then wear my clothes.

Q. Which is the costliest outfit you have bought till date?
A. Oh, there are many, and my latest costliest outfit is my evening gown.

Q. What is your favourite party wear?
A. It depends on the kind of party that I am going to.

Q. What do you generally wear at home?
A. T-shirts and jeans.

Q. Any particular colours you opt for while buying your clothes?
A. I love all colours.

Q. Any fashion tip you would like to give our readers?
A. Keep yourself hygienic and clean.

source: http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=52629

Popularity: 68% [?]

If you are landlord or letting agent searching for a company to carry out a tenant credit checks then look no further just visit Credit-check-Services.co.uk for uk tenant referencingservices. Credit-Check-Services.co.uk is specialise in services to credit check tenants and no one can match them for pricing and levels of service. Credit-check-Services.co.uk provides online services to assist with property letting. Their primary services are based on risk profiling to help verify a tenant’s suitability for a given property to let. Credit-check-services.co.uk provides a range of services to support landlords and letting agents in making the right decision when referencing a tenant who has previously been living in the UK.

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So make your visit on Credit-Check-Services.co.uk - the online service providing tenant check reports.

Popularity: 51% [?]

Marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, al Qaeda’s media arm released an audio recording, purportedly from the group’s second-in-command, saying U.S. troops there have failed.

The audiotape allegedly is from Ayman al-Zawahiri, shown here in an image taken from a videotape.

“Where the American invasion stands now, after five years, is failure and defeat,” the voice on the tape — supposedly that of Ayman al-Zawahiri — said in the roughly 16-minute recording, which was posted Thursday on several militant Islamist Web sites.

The tape referenced testimony by David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq, before Congress this month, when he said that further troop withdrawals in Iraq will have to wait at least another 45 days.

“It is all a silly episode to disguise failure in Iraq and so Bush would avoid making a decision on withdrawing troops — which is considered to be a declaration of crusaders’ defeat in Iraq — and move forward the problem to be the next president’s issue,” he said.

CNN could not immediately confirm that the speaker was al-Zawahiri.

Al-Zawahiri’s last public statement came April 3, when he said in an audio message that al Qaeda does not kill innocents and that Osama bin Laden is healthy.

In the latest tape, the speaker says that if President Bush “kept all his troops in Iraq until the end of time and until they go to hell, they will not witness anything except failure and defeat, God willing.”

He also accuses Democrats seeking the presidency of “trying to deceive their people by saying that they will withdraw their troops from Iraq by talking to Iran.”

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has said he would be open to meeting with leaders of nations unfriendly to the United States, like Iran, to bring about positive changes overseas. His Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, has said she would be reluctant to meet with such leaders.

The speaker spent about 10 minutes of the message addressing what he called corruption in Egypt and other Muslim nations that he said has led to food shortages and other hardships for citizens. Al-Zawahiri is from Egypt.

“Corruption and stealing have gotten to the point of making people hungry and preventing them from basic food,” he said. “Making people hungry in Egypt … is a part of the U.S.-Zionist plan, which aims to make Muslims subservient.”

Egypt has been the site of civil unrest over high food and fuel prices, according to the United Nations’ World Food Program

source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/17/al.qaeda.message/index.html

Popularity: 43% [?]

Why first-born children have higher IQs

Does your older brother think he’s cleverer than you? Well, he’s probably right. According to new research due to be published this week in the journal Intelligence, the oldest children in families are likely to have the highest IQs, and the youngest the lowest.

The research is based on more than 1,000 children whose IQ was tested through childhood and adolescence up to the age of 18. The Dutch study shows a birth-order effect on intelligence in each of the tests. Overall, the IQ of the first-born child was higher than the second-born, which, in turn, was greater than that of children who had two or more older siblings.

This is only the latest research to suggest that the order of birth can have a fundamental effect on diverse factors, ranging from the risk of cancer, asthma and eczema, to weight and even premature death.

It can also affect personality, achievement, and career, with first-borns being more academically successful and more likely to win Nobel prizes. However, eldest children are less likely to be radical and pioneering. Charles Darwin, for example, was the fifth child of six.

It has even been suggested that birth order can influence sexual orientation, left or right handedness, and the number of sexual partners someone has in a lifetime.

Exactly why there should be such differences is not clear, and there are a number of theories, with many homing in on environmental influences on the child.

The so-called dilution hypothesis suggests that as family resources, both emotional and physical, as well as economic, are finite, it follows that, as a result, as more children come along, the levels of parental attention and stimulation will drop. Another theory is that the intellectual environment in the family favours the first-born who has, at least for some time, the benefit of individual mentoring

Here are some of the factors that scientists believe may vary with birth order, and why.

INTELLIGENCE

A number of studies have suggested that IQ scores decline with birth order. In the most recent study, at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, researchers looked at men and women whose IQ had

been tested at the ages of 5, 12, and 18. The results, which show a trend for the oldest to score better than the youngest in each test, confirm the findings of a study at the University of Oslo, involving about 200,000 people. That showed that first-borns had a three-point IQ advantage over the second-born, who was a point ahead of the next in line.

The theory which enjoys the most support is that the extra time and patience that the earlier borns get from their parents, compared with those arriving later, gives them an advantage.

PERSONALITY

This is one of the most researched areas. A study at the University of California (and several other institutions) based on more than 2,000 families from six countries, suggests that the parents’ most favoured child tends to be the last-born. The rebel of the family also tends to be born later that his siblings, but he will not necessarily be the last-born, and rebels tended to feel less close to their parents

First-borns are . . .achievers, who are dominant, religious, conscientious and neurotic. They earn more, are more responsible, anxious and organised, and they stick to the rules.

Middle-borns are . . .rebellious, less religious, impulsive and open to new experiences. They perform worse at school and often procrastinate but act as peacemakers.

Last-borns are . . .agreeable, warm, sociable, extrovert and creative. They are the most favoured child, often a joker and questioning of authority.

BROTHERLY LOVE

One theory of sibling relationships suggests that older siblings invest more time and effort in younger ones than vice versa. To test the theory, researchers at Newcastle University looked at whether first-borns were more likely to keep in touch with their siblings than middle-borns or later-borns, based on a sample of 1,558 people.

First-borns were found to have significantly more frequent face-to-face contact, every week with their siblings than middle-borns or last-borns, even after taking into account geographic distances. Middle-borns and later-borns were less likely to have frequent contact with each other.

MORTALITY

Later-borns are more likely to die prematurely. A study that followed 14,000 boys and girls born between 1915 and 1929 until they died shows that even when birth weight, gestational age, diseases, social class and other factors are taken into account, the youngest born have a higher risk of mortality. “The general tendency was for later-born siblings, particularly girls and women, to demonstrate a higher mortality risk than first-borns,” say the researchers from Stockholm University.

One possible explanation is that later-borns are also associated with greater risk-taking.

ECZEMA AND ASTHMA

Eczema and asthma are some of the most common chronic childhood diseases and research has suggested that later-borns have a reduced risk. A study last year by Dr Paolo Matricardi and colleagues in Rome and Napoli, and based on 11,371 young men, showed that the prevalence of eczema and asthma was related to the total number of siblings. The fewer siblings you have, the greater your chance of having asthma or eczema. One theory is that younger children are exposed to a wider range of infections by their older siblings and this helps to educate their immune systems and protect them.

SEXUAL PARTNERS

Later-borns want to enjoy more sexual partners than first-borns. When researchers from Florida Atlantic University questioned fellow college students, they found that those who were the youngest in the family desired more sexual partners, but that the first-borns wanted to have children at an earlier stage than later-born siblings.

That, they claim, suggests that a greater pursuit of a long-term mating strategy by first-borns. The theory is that first-borns uphold the values of their parents, which are more likely to result in having children early, pursing fewer sexual partners and wanting a long-term relationship. Later-borns often play a role of rebels, who pursue different paths.

WEIGHT

Later-borns are less likely to be overweight, according to a study based on 8,000 school children. Researchers at the University of Toyama in Japan found that the risk of being overweight in boys in particular was significantly lower with increasing numbers of elder siblings or a sister. They also found that boys from three-child families had a significantly lower risk of being overweight than only children. Just why is not clear, but one theory discussed by the researchers is that over-protection and overfeeding are probable mechanisms leading to obesity because, they say, mothers are more concerned with persuading children to eat in small families. Another possible mechanism is that there is less food for each child in large families.

source http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3729274.ece

Popularity: 72% [?]

Brundage Mountain

Brundage Mountain has received 10 inches of new snow over the past week and will now be open May 3rd and 4th.

McCALL — Near-record snowfall and low spring temperatures are creating ideal conditions at Brundage Mountain Resort. Resort officials announced today that they will be open for a third bonus weekend in May.

The resort is currently closed on weekdays, and had planned this Saturday and Sunday to be the final ski weekend of the season, but that was before 10 inches of fresh powder fell this week. Now, resort managers have decided to be open on May 3rd and 4th.

“Mother Nature has been extremely kind to us this year,” said resort spokesperson April Russell. “And our loyal visitors have shown that they are still interested in skiing and riding on the best snow in Idaho.”

Resort operators are keeping a close watch on Mother Nature and customer interest to decide if additional weekends in May are possible.

This is the first time Brundage Mountain has ever offered lift service in the month of May.

Brundage Mountain has received 422 inches of snowfall this season. That makes this the second snowiest winter on record.

source:http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-apr2308-brundage_ski_season.91ca3969.html

Popularity: 30% [?]

Hedge fund manager John Paulson raked in an astonishing $3 billion last year, a payday that topped all others even in the rarified canyons of Wall Street.

That’s more than $1.4 million an hour, assuming a 40-hour workweek with no vacations — though we expect he worked a lot more than that.

Meanwhile, the average American worker made just $17.86 an hour in March, according to the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It would take 80,756 average Americans to make the same amount of money as Paulson did.

Paulson, who profited with winning bets on securities tied to the mortgage mess, is a poster boy in a world where the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. The salaries of hedge fund managers like Paulson show just how lopsided the pay scales can be for some at the top.

“They live on a whole different plane, almost a whole different economy,” Diane C. Swonk, chief economist of Mesirow Financial, said of titans like Paulson. “There’s sort of the ultra, ultra rich, then the rest of economy.”

The typical American family made just $48,201 in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And that median figure includes many householders where there are two adults holding down jobs.

Compare that with the 100 top hedge fund traders around the world, who brought in a combined $30.4 billion, according to trade publication Trader Monthly.

Paulson, founder of Paulson & Co., was king of the hill last year, but there were certainly others who joined him at the top of the income stratosphere.

Phil Falcone, of Harbinger Capital Partners, was estimated to have earned $1.5 billion to $2 billion in 2007, according to Trader Monthly. So did Jim Simons of Renaissance Technologies, Steve Cohen of SAC Capital Advisors and Ken Griffin of Citadel Investment Group.

Swonk called it the “biggest inequality since the Great Depression.”

“Not only are the rich getting richer, there are more of them, and those who are rich are getting incredibly rich, sort of a winner-takes-all,” she said.

So given this wealth disparity, we decided to look at this incredible wealth to see what it could buy. Remember, the $3 billion that Paulson made was just in one year. We assume that even if he spent every last penny, he has some cash stashed away from prior years to pay for living expenses and to save for retirement.

First, why not give some cash to charity?

A spokesman for Paulson told ABC News that he keeps his charitable donations private. Paulson did, however, give $15 million, according to Business Week, to the Center for Responsible Lending, a group that is helping to provide legal aid to homeowners facing mortgage foreclosure.

That’s a little more than two hours work for the hedge-fund magnate.

Okay, but what about the necessities?

How about 16.3 billion eggs for one really, really big omelet? Or maybe 1.1 billion pounds of chocolate chip cookies? And if you are looking to wash down all that food, all that money could buy a staggering 793 million gallons of whole milk, according to price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That’s enough moo juice to fill 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

And that’s just one person’s money.

Let’s say the top five hedge fund traders teamed up. They earned a combined $10 billion last year. That’s enough money to cover all of the state budgets — excluding federal dollars — of Alabama, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont, according to data provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

But let’s face it, if you had that much money you might decide to have a little fun.

How about a nice, new Mercedes-Benz S class car that costs about $90,000? With $3 billion, you could buy one for yourself and for 33,000 of your closest friends and still have some cash left over.

Or you could buy 200,000 new models of the more modest Ford Focus. That would buy a car for every man, woman and child living in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Of course there are plenty of other things to spend money on. But you probably get the point by now, so we’ll leave you with this final one: the high-priced call girl that former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer allegedly hired cost him $4,300 & and, of course, his job.

If you took all $3 billion and spent it on hookers charging the same price … well let’s just say you would never have to spend another night alone … for the next 1,910 years.

But remember what The Beatles said: Money “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4683882

Popularity: 38% [?]

Since childhood, you’ve been hearing that chocolate destroys your teeth and makes you fat, but now, a now a series of researches have been made to show the beneficial health effects of chocolate. There is only one condition though: it must have as much cocoa as possible, even up to 60-75%.

Thus, we’re talking about dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. A new study carried out at the University of Illinois and published in the Journal of Nutrition says that chocolate even lowers the cholesterol levels, by 2% total cholesterol and by 5.3% LDL or “bad” cholesterol, due to the sterols added to the chocolate bars.

“Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the unexpected effect of also lowering systolic blood pressure,” said John Erdman, a U. of I. professor of food science and human nutrition, who attributed this effect to the flavanols encountered in dark chocolate.

The 49 subjects had slightly elevated cholesterol and normal blood pressure. They started the “Eating Plan for Healthy Americans” (formerly known as the Step 1 diet) two weeks before the research began and then they were assigned to two groups. The researchers tested 2 types of CocoaVia bars: one with plant sterols and one devoid of them.

While continuing with the AHA diet, the subjects consumed one CocoaVia bar (each bar contained 100 calories) twice daily for four weeks, then they changed it for the other bar for another four weeks.

read more : softpedia

Popularity: 27% [?]