Expect Rossi to be Competitive Immediately on the Ducati

With the big news finally out that Rossi is Red, talk will now turn to how competitive Valentino Rossi will be on the Ducati Desmosedici, a bike that only Casey Stoner has tamed in the 800cc era. A comparison to the situation with the Honda to Yamaha switch in 2004 indicates there is little to be concerned about.

The Ducati Desmosedici has been criticized in the racing media for being a one man bike, a machine that only Casey Stoner can race and win on (and not even him so far in 2010) whilst nearly ending the careers of other aspirants such as Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden.

Whilst it is true that all 20 of the Ducati victories in the 800cc era have come at the hand of Stoner (who is now Honda bound), this year significant revisions to the power delivery due to a change to a big bang firing order have tamed the beast somewhat.

This change has allowed Hayden to obtain far better results than last year even as Stoner has seemed to have struggled compared to his 2009 form (a 3 race sit out due to undiagnosed lactose intolerance notwithstanding).

However all of this pales as an issue when compared to what Valentino and Jeremy Burgess faced in 2004 when they left the title winning Honda V5 990cc RC211V to climb aboard the inline four Yamaha M1 which had only won 2 races in the entire 2 year MotoGP era, both of those in 2002 with Max Biaggi at the helm. Despite this apparent major setback, by the first race in South Africa in 2004, Rossi took victory on a revised bike that was still lacking in speed compared to the Honda.

We all know the history. That victory was just the first of 9 that year as he took the title on the Yamaha adding back to back titles on different machinery to his ever increasing list of achievements. He retained the title for Yamaha in 2005 before losing it for 2 seasons running (Hayden in 2006 and Stoner on the Ducati in 2007). He fought back however and was victorious once again in 2008 and 2009 and looked to be in a showdown with his Yamaha teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, this year until his crash during practice at Mugello made the title race a foregone conclusion.

All this to say that compared to the seemingly miraculous transformation of the Yamaha from dog to undeniably the best overall motorcycle racebike in the world, making the Ducati regularly competitive in his hands should be childs play.

The Ducati is already fast (although in 6 engine per season mode, not as fast as the Honda), has taken a world title (2007) and won 20 races. It is not hard to imagine Rossi being immediately competitive next year and going at it with Lorenzo for the title. Would you bet against it?

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Nicky Hayden will be Grand Marshal at Indy Mile

Nicky Hayden will be the Grand Marshall of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro K&N Grand National Championship event on Saturday, August 28, 2010. Hayden, in Indianapolis to ride his Ducati Desmosedici GP10 at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, will travel across town to the legendary Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to meet the thousands of dirt-track fans who will gather to watch the “Crown Jewel” of flat track motorcycle racing.

Hayden, 29, from nearby Owensboro, Kentucky is known worldwide as the “Kentucky Kid.” Hayden achieved his earlier career success on the dirt tracks of America. He is currently in his eighth season of the internationally acclaimed MotoGP World Championship, riding for Ducati. He made history when he won the world championship in MotoGP in just his fourth season in 2006.

At the Indy Mile, Hayden will find highly competitive Ducati brethren. In May of 2010, a Ducati-powered machine ridden by Joe Kopp won its first flat track mile ending seventeen years of Grand National Twins domination by Harley Davidson. The Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati Flat Track Project first brought the Italian engine to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in 2009 with Larry Pegram aboard. With Nicky Hayden’s appearance, Ducati has extra incentive to repeat the Joe Kopp triumph and go for a Grand National Twins win.

The announcement of Nicky Hayden becoming the Lucas Oil Indy Mile Grand Marshall is made in honor of Nicky’s outstanding motorcycle racing career. Riding since three years old, racing since five and winning fifteen amateur titles, Nicky made motorcycle racing his professional career in 1997. It was at the Indy Mile in 1999 when he picked up the prestigious Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year award from the AMA Pro Grand National series. That year he was also named the AMA/Speedvision Athlete of the Year for his remarkably successful season competing in three different AMA classes.

With a limited dirt track racing career, Nicky has won a total of six Grand National Championship races on Short Track, TT and Half-Mile race tracks. While coming up through the dirt track ranks, Nicky’s eyes were set on a full time road race career. Nicky has 17 AMA Pro Racing Superbike wins, the 2002 AMA Superbike Championship, 6 AMA Pro Racing Supersport wins, 1999 Supersport Championship, 5 AMA Pro Racing Superstock wins, 1998 Superstock Championship and 7 AMA Pro Racing Formula Extreme wins.

In 2003 after a successful dirt track and road race career in the U.S., Nicky turned his focus to the World MotoGP Championship series. Nicky has three MotoGP wins and became the MotoGP World Champion in 2006.

“We’re honored to have a U.S. and World Champion such as Nicky Hayden serve as Grand Marshal”, said Mike Moore, President of The Promotion Company-Family Events, producers of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile. “It’s a fitting tribute Nicky’s many accomplishments, especially here at the legendary Lucas Oil Indy Mile where he was first honored as a rookie”, Moore said.

Advance Discount tickets available at The Indiana State Fairgrounds Box Office, any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For additional ticket information and web links, please visit www.IndyMile.com.
(Ducati North America)

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Burgess: Chill People, Rossi will be Fast on the Ducati

Valentino Rossi’s chief engineer, Jeremy Burgess has cautioned the naysayers who were disappointed in the results of the Italian’s first outing on the Ducati MotoGP racer at the recent Valencia post season test. Rossi ended the test 15th fastest and second slowest Ducati ahead of only rookie Karel Abraham.

Vale was 1.7 seconds off the pace of the front runners, former Ducati pilot Casey Stoner getting his first taste of a factory Honda and 2010 World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo on the Yamaha M1. Both Nicky Hayden and new to Pramac Ducati, Randy De Puniet were over a second faster than the GOAT. What gives?

Defending his charge, Burgess urged for calm when speaking with Motosprint.

“There’s no reason to panic, despite Valentino’s unusual test results. Everything was new for Valentino as it was for myself and my team.”

Reports suggest that Rossi liked the power delivery and the rear grip from the Ducati (something he has struggled with on the Yamaha) but found the front end of the Ducati as disagreeable as Stoner did.

“Everyone likes to be at the top of the timesheets, after every test session, but I knew Valentino would get on the track to do a different job: he wanted to ride to understand the bike, not to do record laps. “He kept himself within wide margins, he certainly didn’t ride as if it was a race weekend.” reported Burgess

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Rossi eager for action but prepared for “calm” recovery

Valentino Rossi is fully aware of the road to recovery that awaits him following surgery on his shoulder on Sunday, and despite acknowledging that he needs to be “calm and patient” in his rehabilitation the 31 year-old is eager to try out his repaired shoulder.

In the aftermath of his operation in Italy on Sunday Doctor Alessandro Castagna, one of the specialists who operated on Rossi, said he expected the nine-time World Champion to fit in time for the MotoGP Test at Sepang which takes place at the start of February next year, provided there were no complications to the Italian’s recovery.

Rossi appears to have taken stock of the advice and is anticipating a careful approach, and gave his post-operation reaction to the crew of Italian broadcaster Mediaset’s humorous show ‘Striscia la Notizia’.

“I’m pretty bad and it’s very painful, but that’s normal in the days that follow an operation. I’m finding it difficult to sleep,” said Rossi. “The operation went well. Everything is how it should be. My arm is immobilised, and the shoulder is expected to recover 100%. Now it’s just a question of time, I have to be calm, patient, and to wait.”

With his focus on the Sepang Test, which should be his second on the Desmosedici, Rossi continued: “The shoulder was much worse than we suspected and the operation lasted twice as long as was planned. The tendons which we thought were a little bit affected were in fact completely damaged. Now I have a shoulder which is like new, and I’m eager to try it out. I hope to be fit for February 1st, the first Test of 2011, and ride the Ducati.”

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Rossi will be ready for Sepang Test

February 1st 2011, the date of the next Official MotoGP Test, is firmly fixed in Valentino Rossi’s mind as the Italian begins his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery which took place on Sunday. The normal recovery period following a procedure such as the one undergone by Rossi is 90 days, but with 79 until the Sepang Test the schedule is tight.

In an interview with Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport Doctor Alessandro Castagna of the Milan Humanitas Institute, who along with Doctor Giuseppe Porcellini performed the operation, explained his view on the chances of Rossi being fit to ride the Ducati in Malaysia.

“It usually takes 90 days and he has 79 until the first Test. I’m sure that if everything goes smoothly and there are no complications he can be ready for it,” said Dr Castagna.

The nine-time World Champion will require a splint to support the shoulder for three weeks, and his recovery programme will consist of three important stages.

“The inflammatory phase (immediately after surgery) usually lasts for between three to five days,” continued Dr Castagna. “The second phase usually a month and a half or two during which the capillaries in the area will aid the production of fresh cells that will help the healing process. The final stage will be the re-strengthening of the joint. In the middle of the second stage Valentino will start the rehabilitation with the first steps being in the pool, followed by gym activity.”

Discussing the surgery Dr Castagna said: “The operation itself had no particular problems, but we encountered a situation like at the supermarket: pay for one, get three. To give an idea of the situation it normally takes 35 minutes to stabilise a shoulder, and with Valentino it took us an hour and 50 minutes.”

“In simple terms the supraspinatus tendon and the glenoid ligament were both very damaged. We had to clean the area to prepare it for its natural healing process, and then close it with 12 stitches. The fibrocartilage surrounding the humerus was displaced so we put it back and fixed it with bio-absorbable staples. All of this was done in an area which measured a maximum of 2-3 centimetres.”

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MCA Pledges RM40,000 For Wushu Medallists At Asian Games

Kuala Lumpur - MCA on Friday pledged to give RM40,000 to Chai Fong Ying and Tai Cheau Xuen for winning the gold medal and bronze respectively in wushu at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the contribution was in appreciation of their success and as an incentive for them to do better in the sport in future.

"At the moment, we don't have the sponsor yet but I have instructed my deputy (Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai) to lead the search for sponsorship.

"We pledge to give RM30,000 to Chai and RM10,000 to Tai," he told reporters at a dinner function in honour of the national wushu squad, here Friday night.

At the Asian Games this time, Chai won gold again in the Taijijian event after her first at the Doha Games in Qatar four years ago.

Dr Chua said the MCA would also look for RM200,000 to assist the Wushu Federation of Malaysia.

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Schwartzel sinks fourth career hole-in-one

By Ashley Hammond

Dubai : Charl Schwartzel bagged the fourth hole-in-one of his career from 166 yards on the par-three sixth hole at Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course yesterday.

The South African told Gulf News: "It's a great feeling whenever you get a hole-in-one but to get one in a tournament is something special."

Schwartzel's last hole in one came two years ago at the Johannesburg Open, the other two came at his local golf course when he was 10 and 13 years old.

He added of the trick shot: "It was all thanks to Miguel [Angel Jimenez, his partner for Day 1]. I saw him use a six iron and decided to hit a seven. It was probably a yard or so short but where I was standing it looked as though it released perfectly."

Big boost
"I birdied hole two, bogeyed hole three then from nowhere three holes later I got the hole-in-one — it really boosts your day."

Finishing 69 three under par with four birdies, three bogeys plus that now famous hole in one, Schwartzel is now tied for fifth in the Dubai World Championship leaderboard and eighth in the Race to Dubai standings.

Having not been in contention in recent tournaments, despite playing well, Schwartzel is hopeful his luck is on the turn.

"It's a good start for me. I definitely feel there's a low score out there if I can get the putter working I'll really make a low scoring game."

Laughing off the fact he didn't win a prize for his hole-in-one, as cars or yachts are normally fair game for such an achievement, Schwartzel said: "I thought I'd won a car, because there was a car standing to the right of the tee box but yeah you know I'll have to get another one on the17th [where there is a car]"

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Liu sets his sights on London

By Alaric Gomes

Guangzhou : China's pin-up boy and 110m world record holder feels that his maturity can see him back to where he belongs in the near future.

"I am 27 and much more mature now than before. This medal bodes me well and I think I can be back to where I belong," Liu Xiang told media after Wednesday night's run that fetched him a record third Asian Games gold medal at a packed Aoti Stadium.

Liu finished in a time of 13.09secs — his best showing for this season — and then trained his eyes on the 2012 London Olympics to recapture his past glory.

"I believe I can do it [win the Olympic gold medal] said after he blazed home ahead of teammate Shi Dongpeng, his conqueror in May's Diamond League meet held in Shanghai, and South Korea's Park Tae-yong in third.

"I know it is easy to say ‘I can', even though the process might be more difficult than it looks now. But I believe that with time I still have the power to do it. No matter if I can get the Olympic gold or not, I'll try my very best," said Liu, who surrendered his world record in June 2008 when Cuba's Dayron Robles ran the distance in 12.87secs.

Liu rose to fame as China's first major track star when he won Olympic gold in Athens 2004, but experienced a fall from grace four years later when he limped out of the Birds Nest in Beijing with an Achilles tendon injury before the heats of his signature event.

Major event
Since then the Achilles injury has plagued the athlete despite undergoing surgery in the US shortly after the 2008 Beijing Games.

Wednesday's win was his first major one on home soil since that fateful day in Beijing when a packed stadium heaved a uniform breath of silence leaving millions of his fans shell-shocked.

He made his comeback run in March this year, managing only a seventh place at the world indoor championships in the shorter 60m hurdles. Two months later, Liu pocketed the bronze at the Diamond League meet in his hometown Shanghai where he was beaten by American David Oliver (12.99secs) and teammate Shi Dongpeng.

However, on a cool breezy Wednesday evening, Liu did what he knows to do best as he finished with a fast time of 13.09secs, thereby endorsing his dominance on the bigger stage.

"I didn't expect to finish in such a good time. I had thought that a time of 13.30secs would be enough for me to win the medal," Xiang admitted. "There is still a gap between my current form and how I was at my peak, but I have time to improve. I believe I can run inside 13 seconds and I am confident I can get back to my peak form," he added.

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India race away with gold medals in track and field events

By Alaric Gomes

Guangzhou - India took both the gold medals in the 400-metre hurdles to match their opening day's performance in the track and field competition at the 16th Asian Games at the Aoti Stadium here yesterday.

Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji scalped some established runners to win gold in the 400-metre hurdles with a personal best time of 56.15secs, while teammate Joseph Abraham claimed the top spot in the men's 400-metre hurdles with a time of 49.96secs for another rare Indian double.

India had opened the track and field competition last Sunday with Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut first completing a fine one-two in the women's 10,000-metre and later Sudha Singh capping a perfect night with a final lunge to win the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase.

Making amends
Earlier during the evening, Japan's Chisato Fukushima made amends for her 100-metre disappointment with a light wind assisted run to finish in 23.60secs and clinch gold in the 200-metre gold ahead of Vietnam's Vu Thi Huong and veteran Uzbek runner Guzel Khubbieva.

Iran once again reiterated their rise in sporting arena with Sajad Moradi running a blistering 800-metre final to take the gold with a time of 1 minute, 45.45secs, leaving Iraq's Adnan Al Muntafage (1:45.88) and Qatar's Musaab Abdul Rahman Bala (1:46.19) for silver and bronze respectively.

Indian great P.T. Usha then watched in dismay as her ward Tintu Lukka led most of the race but finished third behind Kazakhstan's Margarita Matsko and Vietnam's Thanh Hang Truong in the women's 800-metre final.

"A medal is a medal and I am glad she has picked one up so early in her career. She is inexperienced and that is what cost her a gold medal," P. T. Usha observed.

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Japan wins women's' world baseball championship

Yukari Isozaki gave up just four hits and one run over four innings after Japan scored nine runs in the first to beat Australia 13-3 and claim the women's' world baseball championship on Sunday.

After Japan's batters made a strong start, pitchers Isozaki and Ayami Sato held Australia's offense in chck throughout the rest of the game at Jose Perez Colmenares Stadium in the northern city of Maracay.

Isozaki had three strikeouts and allowed nly one batter to take a base on balls.

"I was nervous at the beginning, given the responsibility of opening this game, but my teammates supported me and we won this game together," Isozaki said.

Sato was equally effective, giving up two runs and two hits as Japan's reliever. She struck out two battrs.

Sunday's victory was Japan's second in the women's world baseball championship. The Japanese also won the tournament in 2008.

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Underachieving Madrid banks on Mourinho to deliver

A season after breaking the bank on a squad of "galactico" players that failed to deliver a single title, Real Madrid is banking on coach Jose Mourinho to turn an underachieving squad of stars into champions.

Madrid president Florentino Perez wasted little time in securing the Portuguese coach's services after he led Inter Milan to the Champions League trophy at Madrid's own Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in May.

Now, the self-proclaimed "Special One" faces his biggest challenge yet as he looks to turn around the fortunes of football's biggest club.

"Real Madrid is a unique team in how it generates such enormous expectations, it's been the best club of the 20th century," Mourinho said. "I've had little time here so far but I'm already aware of what this team is and I want to go down in the history of Real Madrid."

Counting on players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas means the pressure is high - especially after another early exit from Europe last season and the humiliating Copa del Rey exit when it lost 4-0 to third-tier Alcorcon.

Madrid set a club record for points last season but two defeats by Barcelona proved the difference as its biggest rival won the league for a second straight season.

With the exits of Raul Gonzalez and Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrz, Mourinho is set to spearhead a new age at Madrid, led by Ronaldo.

"Cristiano is very happy," Mourinho said. "He'll have a magnificent season under me."

After spending over euro250 million ($343 million) on players last summer, Madrid has been relatively quiet this time around with Argentina winger Angel Di Maria's arrival from Benfica for euro25 million ($31.7 million) its most expensive transfer. Madrid also signed Germany standout Sami Khedira from Stuttgart, Getafe midfielder Pedro Leon and longtime Mourinho favorite Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea.

The arrivals of teenager Sergio Canales from Racing Santander and Germany playmaker Mesut Oezil from Werder Bremen are shaping up to be the most important, with Kaka out until December following knee surgery.

"(Oezil) is a creative player who is more offensive than (Fernando) Gago or Lassana (Diarra). He's got similar qualities to Canales," Mourinho said. "(Canales) is a player I like a lot. If he doesn't change, he'll get a lot of minutes in this team."

While Ronaldo and striker Gonzalo Higuain guarantee goals, Mourinho's biggest task might be in getting the best out of Karim Benzema, who has largely been a disappointment since a euro35 million ($44 million) move from Lyon last summer.

"Mentally I'm very strong and I'm convinced I'm going to score a lot of goals," Benzema said.

Carvalho will also be pressed into action immediately as Madrid is without injured center backs Pepe, Raul Albiol and Ezequiel Garay for its Aug. 29 opener against Mllorca.

Madrid's players have become quick believers in Mourinho, with Oezil saying his decision to move to the Spanish capital was all down to playing under Mourinho.

Goalkeeper Casillas said of his new coach: "He's got a lot of hope and desire to do things well. He's got a young group keen to achieve things. We have no reason to envy Barcelona."

Mourinho himself is keen on making history.

"I want to be the only one to have won the three most important leagues in the world: Spain, Italy and England," Mourinho said.

Barcelona will be Mourinho's biggest worry as it fields eight players from Sain's World Cup winning team.

But Mourinho is already familiar with Barcelona - where he previously worked as an assistant coach - from his infamous clashes while coach at Chelsea and Inter, which eliminated the defending European champions in last season's semifinals.

Mourinho is ready for the challenge - it may just be a question of whether Madrid is ready for him. (Paul Logothetis)

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Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven face Europa League battle

Former European champions Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven face a battle to reach the group stages of the Europa League in the second legs of their qualifying playoffs on Thursday.

English side Liverpool travels to Turkey with only a 1-0 lad from its first leg against Trabzonspor at Anfield last week, courtesy of Ryan Babel's goal.

In unfamiliar territory after failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, Liverpool risk missing out on making the group stages of Europe's second-tier club competition.

"Whether the margin of victory is enough, only time will tell, but we can at least go there with a lead and having not conceded a goal," manager Roy Hodgson said.

Liverpool is yet to win in the Premier League this season, its 3-0 defeat at Manchester City following a goalless draw at home to Arsenal.

The five-time European champion should welcome back attacking midfielder Joe Cole from domestic suspension but is set to be without Javier Mascherano, who "isn't in the right frame of mind at the moment to play," according to Hodgson, after being the subject of a bid from Barcelona.

PSV fared worse in its opening match in the playoffs, losing 1-0 to Russian side Sibir Novosibirsk after having Francisco Rodriguez sent off in the first half. The Dutch club, which won the European Cup in 1988, conceded a goal to Aleksandr Degtyarev in the second minute of injury time.

PSV at least recovered from its European setback by winning in its domestic championship, 3-1 against AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.

"We're happy to have bounced back from the defeat at FC Sibir. I asked the players to switch over and that's what they've done," coach Fred Rutten said.

Rodriguez will miss the second leg after being handed a one-match ban following his sending-off.

Meanwhile, fallen Italian giant Juventus has a 2-1 lead over Sturm Graz to take into the return leg thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Brazilian striker Amauri.

Aston Villa, which is level at 1-1 with Rapid Vienna, will look to avoid being eliminated in the Europa League playoffs by the Austrian team for the second year running.

Fellow English side Manchester City will be without first-leg match-winner Mario Balotelli for its return match against FC Timisoara, which lost 1-0 in Romania last week. The Italy forward is still nursing an injury sustained late in the first leg.

Elsewhere, Turkish sides Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are struggling to make it through. Galatasaray drew 2-2 at home to Karpaty Lviv of Ukraine and Fenerbahce lost 1-0 at PAOK Salonika in the first leg. (The Associated Press)

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Koreans together on Asian Games podium

Two South and North Korean athletes shook hands and stood side-by-side on the Asian Games medal podium on Tuesday as their countries waged a deadly military skirmish.

In the women's individual archery competition, South Korea's Yun Ok-hee won gold, beating Cheng Ming of China in the final, with Kwon Un Sil of North Korea securing the bronze medal.

Yun walked over to Kwon with the South Korean flag draped over her shoulders after winning the competition, and the North Korean gave her a friendly pat on the back.

Kwon, wearing a red team jacket, and Yun, with a multicolored team top, both stood with their hands behind their backs before the medals were presented. But when Yun was introduced to the crowd, she stopped to shake hands with Kwon before proceeding to get the gold medal.

Neither athlete wanted to comment on the political tension on their divided peninsula in a later news conference, where organizers tried to restrict questions.

Yun said she didn't care about the political tension and declined to answer questions, saying "We are supposed to get questions relevant to the competition only."

Kwon said she didn't know anything about the skirmish.

"I just try to do my best in my performance. I don't pay attention to, or care about the situation," Kwon said through a translator. "My goal at this Asian Games, and my only goal, was to win the gold medal.

"It is not only for my own aspirations but also for our great leader."

Seoul claimed that North Korea shot dozens of rounds of artillery onto a populated South Korean island near their disputed western border earlier Tuesday, reportedly killing a marine and injuring 13 people.

South Korea said it returned fire and scrambled fighter jets in response, and said the "inhumane" attack on civilian areas violated the 1953 armistice halting the Korean War. The two sides technically remain at war because a peace treaty was never negotiated.

There was no evidence of animosity between the delegations at the archery range as competition progressed. After she'd won the bronze medal playoff, Kwon and her coach spent time in the same rest area and exchanged greetings with two South Korean team officials.

During the playing of the South Korean national anthem, the flags of both countries were raised side by side. Yun pulled out a large South Korean flag after the anthem was played and held it in outstretched arms in front of a group of South Korean fans.

At a later photo opportunity, Kwon didn't appear to mind standing beside Yun as she held up a South Korean flag for the cameras.

Manuel Silverio, the Olympic Council of Asia's media committee chairman, said he was pleased to hear the archers react in such a positive way and urged athletes from both sides to remain at the games, which bring together more than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and are due to finish Saturday.

"The OCA is making an appeal to all athletes from both sides that they must stay together to show that they are here to compete, and never withdraw," Silverio told The Associated Press. "This is in the OCA and IOC constitution that this is a sports festival, a sports arena. It is nothing related to here."

Silverio said neither team had asked for any extra security arrangements due to Tuesday's events. When contacted for comment, both sides said there was no plan to quit the games.

North Korean wrestler Yang Kyong Il appeared shy and answered simply "I don't know" when journalists asked him about the skirmish after the medal ceremony for the men's freestyle 55 kilogram class.

Yang took the silver after losing to an opponent from Uzbekistan and shared the podium with bronze medalist Kim Hyo-sub of South Korea, though the two were not next to each other.

Organizers canceled a post-ceremony news conference.

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Ceylon loses thriller, WISCI extends streak

Ceylon lost a thriller against GMIS CC, and WISCI extended its winning streak by defeating Indorama in the weekend matches of the Apple Coal JCA League 2010-11.

Ceylon lost by 4 runs to GMIS CC despite the heroics of Ceylon captain Dihan Silva, who remained unbeaten on 153 in Cibubur, East Jakarta. Electing to bat first, GMIS CC amassed 268/5 in 35 overs based on Nitesh Pansare’s maiden century (102 runs) and Nicholas Manuel’s 82 runs.

In reply, Ceylon, lead by Dihan who has a reputation for winning matches single handedly, came precariously close to scripting one of the most memorable run chases in JCA league history. Ceylon fell short by just 4 runs, ending at 264/6 in 35 overs. Gaurav Kapoor made 41 runs.

In a match at Karawaci in Tangerang, Banten, WISCI were declared winners on better run rate, when rain stopped play after 20 overs. Electing to bat, Indorama posted 179/8, after struggling at 36/4 in 12 overs. Arjun Chouhan’s 56 and Vinod Verghese’s unbeaten 35 runs provided respectability to Indorama’s score. Kailas Raina took 2 wickets for 17 runs.

Sensing rain the match was curtailed with WISCI ahead of the required run rate of 5.14 and 123/1 in 20 overs. Steve Callaghan scored the most with 62 runs and had an opening partnership of 97 with Paul Griffith.

WISCI top the league with 60 points and have won all 5 matches.—JP

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India Counts on Prime Pitch for Batsmen

Hyderabad, India - Judging by his past experience of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni expects bat to dominate ball in the second test against New Zealand starting on Friday.

The latest addition to the list of test venues, as the five-day game returns to Hyderabad after a 22-year hiatus, is not expected to provide the kind of result-friendly pitch that India would prefer after having drawn the series opener.

“We have played some one-dayers and IPL [Indian Premier League] matches here and found the pitch to be on the flat side with some bounce, which enables batsmen to score freely,” Dhoni said on Thursday.

The first test of the three-match series ended in a draw at Ahmedabad, where India needed a rearguard action by V.V.S. Laxman and a century from bowler Harbhajan Singh in the second innings to resist a looming defeat.

Dhoni said he would like to be more attacking but the team was not contemplating going in with an extra bowler.

“I would like the luxury of playing five bowlers, but then you have to consider what your best side is. We like to rely on part-time bowlers to supplement the four regular bowlers,” Dhoni said.

The India skipper also backed out-of-form opener Gautam Gambhir — 86 runs in his past 10 innings — saying his place in the side was not yet at risk despite the claims of Murali Vijay, who scored a century in the final test against Australia last month as replacement for the injured Gambhir.

“With Gambhir it is a the pressure of performance rather than the fear of failure,” Dhoni said. “He has set a high benchmark for himself and others like Murali will have to wait for some time.”

Dhoni also put pressure upon the umpires, after questionable decisions in the first test.

“Everyone saw Laxman’s decision in the first test. Strong measures have to be taken to improve the standard of umpiring,” Dhoni said in reference to Steve Davis’s lbw decision when replays showed a clear inside edge off Laxman’s bat when he was just nine runs shy of a century.

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori urged his team to “maintain the high standards” after the strong showing in the first test.

“We need to back up our performance in the first match with another one here,” Vettori said on Thursday.

India started the series as a strong favorite but was surprised by a resurgent New Zealand in the series opener. The third and final test will be held in Nagpur next week. (C. Rajshekhar Rao)

Associated Press

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Haider Forced to Give Up Career Amid Fixing Threats

London - Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has retired from international cricket and is reportedly seeking political asylum in Britain amid alleged threats from match-fixers.

Haider left the Pakistan team in Dubai on Monday and flew to London after claiming he had been offered money to lose matches against South Africa, the latest twist in the fixing scandals rocking the team.

The 24-year-old Haider would not identify who threatened him or the nature of the threats that prompted him to flee the team hotel in Dubai and travel to England without telling anyone.

“I was approached by one person who asked me to fix the fourth and fifth match, and there would be problem for me if I did not do it,” Haider said.

“I do not want to say who is involved and who is not involved in the match-fixing.”

Haider said he received threats after scoring the winning run in Friday’s one-wicket in the fourth one-day international in Dubai. South Africa won the fifth and decisive ODI on Monday and clinched the series 3-2.

“The country is like a mother and anyone who sells it cannot get anything in life,” he said.

“I did not want to sell my mother. I did not want to sell my country and I did what I thought was better.”

Following Friday’s match, Haider asked a Pakistan Cricket Board official for his passport, pretending he needed it to buy a mobile phone connection, and then left the hotel three days later to fly to London.

“I did not do what I was asked to do in the fourth one-dayer and I also did not let it happen what was being asked to do, so this is the reason that I left it and came here and I did what I felt better,” he said.

Haider would not detail the threats, but Pakistan police beefed up security at his house in Lahore “to avoid any untoward incident,” according to senior police official Sahahzada Salim.

“I cannot say what kind of threats I have received as my family is still in Pakistan,” Haider said, adding his reluctance to provide details was in the interests of family safety.

Haider arrived in London on Monday and said he had discussed his status with immigration officials.

“I understand there is rule in Britain that if you are on right and if you are not a criminal, then they always protect you.”

Raza Haider said his brother was asked by UK immigration authorities to appear with a lawyer. He said the family was sending Zulqarnain money he received for playing in Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year.

Haider is staying at a hotel near Heathrow Airport while his case is being decided.

Julie Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Information Center about Asylum and Refugees, said Pakistani citizens seeking asylum in the UK were usually dealt with on a “fast-track system.”

But Gibbs said it was unlikely Haider would be granted political asylum if he requested it, while emphasizing that each case was different.

“He’s not got a good chance. Pakistan isn’t really an asylum country,” she said. (Mark Walsh)

Associated Press

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McCullum Hits Ton to Keep Kiwi Hopes Alive

Brendon McCullum struck a well-paced century on Monday as New Zealand reached 237-4 at the close of play on the fourth day of the second test against India after conceding a 122-run first innings lead.

The test looks like providing an interesting final day as New Zealand is 115 runs ahead with six wickets in hand.

McCullum was batting on 124 and Kane Williamson had 12 as the Kiwis looked to prolong the second innings, just as Harbhajan Singh had done earlier in the day for India with a century that took its first innings to 472.

McCullum started aggressively and was particularly severe on the spinners, striking 11 fours and three sixes off 177 balls.

He built up a 125-run partnership for the first wicket with Tim McIntosh (49), the first three-figure opening stand for New Zealand in over six years.

McIntosh hit six fours and a six before he was caught at forward short leg off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.

Left-hander McIntosh, who had struck 102 in the first innings after twice being out for nought in the first match at Ahmedabad, was comfortable against both pace and spin before being caught bat and pad.

Martin Guptill (18) lasted for 67 minutes but did not seem fluent despite having scored 85 in the first innings. He was out caught behind as he tried to slash a delivery from Ojha but only managed an edge.

Ross Taylor (7) fell 13 runs later as seam bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth produced a fine delivery that came in sharply and found the gap between bat and pad to dislodge the stumps.

Jesse Ryder (20) could not do much either and edged one to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off part-time spinner Suresh Raina as New Zealand slipped from 174-1 to 221-4.

Earlier, Harbhajan became the first number eight batsman to score centuries in successive tests, scoring 111 not out to lead India to its 122-run first innings.

India added 36 runs to its overnight 436-9 before Sreesanth (24) was trapped lbw by Daniel Vettori to end the innings at 472.

New Zealand had scored 350 in its first innings. 

Associated Press

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Reeves shows exceptional pace at Targa High Country

Written by Fabien Kornél

Fresh from their success at the Pirelli Star Driver Shootout in Spain two weeks ago, Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth returned to tarmac rallying at the weekend. Driving a Mazda3 MPS for Mazda Motorsport in the inaugural Targa High Country rally, the brother-sister duo showed impressive speed and talent.

Day one of the rally on Saturday consisted of eight stages with the day starting and finishing at Mount Buller. Four stages were run in the morning before a lunch break at Wangaratta, with crews then repeating three of the morning stages on the return leg. The day's final stage was an ascent up the Mount Buller road and, after a superb run throughout the day, Reeves and Smyth ended the day with a lead in the Showroom Class of over three and a half minutes, and sixth place outright. With the rally's outright leaders driving much more powerful machinery in the form of Lamborghinis and Porsches, it was a remarkable effort to have the nimble Mazda3 MPS inside the top ten, let alone in sixth place.

Reeves and Smyth went into Sunday ready for another challenging day of technical high country roads! By the end of stage 10, they held a lead of over four minutes in the Showroom class.

In stage 11, the longest stage of the event at 28km, the pair were having a good run through the twisty downhill section, 26km into the stage, when their good run came to an end. After a fast straight into a sharp right corner, Reeves had some initial brake fade, which led to him having too fast an entry into the corner and with no other option but to run up the bank or hit another car already crashed, Reeves ran off the road.

"It's extremely disappointing as we were having such a great event and the Mazda was going beautifully," said Reeves. "We are really looking forward to getting back in the car again and working with Mazda."

Neither Reeves nor Smyth were injured in the incident.

Reeves and Smyth will now prepare for the final round of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), Rally Victoria, which takes place around Warragul this weekend, November 13 and 14. The all new ARC event will be run by the Cerberus Car Club, of which they are both members. To support their club in the event, the pair will drive a Subaru from Rallyschool as '0' car on the gravel event.

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Villagra snatches championship lead from Pozzo

Written by Fabien Kornél

Federico Villagra (Mitsubishi/VRS) took a crucial victory over his main title contender Gabriel Pozzo (Subaru/Baratec) in Rally Pagos del Tuyú, round 11 of the Argentine National Rally, to claim a one point lead ahead of the final showdown of the year.

"Coyote" made his way through the race setting a fast and faultless pace which enables him to win nine of the fourteen stages scheduled to finally beat Pozzo who came 39,1s. adrift.

The former FIA Production Cup winner was far from matching Villagra's pace, fighting hard instead with Tango's owner Marcos Ligato (Mitsubishi), who was at the verge of snatching the second position until Pozzo's final reaction. Four positioned was Claudio Menzi (VW/Baratec) drivin g the sole Maxi Rally car so far, whilst Juan Marchetto (Mitsubishsi/VRS) finished fifth.

The final round of the series will be held next month (December 10-12) in Unquillo, in the province of Córdoba where the champion will be crowned. Villagra is chasing his ninth title -fifth in a row- whereas Pozzo is in search of his maiden national championship.

Rally Pagos del Tuyú
Final classification
1°) Federico Villagra-Diego Curletto (Mitsubishi) 1h15m58,4s.
2°) Gabriel Pozzo-Daniel Stillo (Subaru) + 39,1s.
3°) Marcos Ligato-Rubén García (Mitsubishi) + 51,5s.
4°) Claudio Menzi-Diego Cagnotti (Volkswagen) + 1m04,7s.
5°) Juan Marchetto-Gustavo Franchello (Mitsubishi) + 1m30,5s.
< style="text-align: justify">6°) Juan Gil De Marchi-Mauro Albornoz (Mitsubishi) + 3m35,8s.
7°) Adrián Santos-Nicolás Álvarez (Mitsubishi) + 3m38,5s.
8°) Agustín Elvira-Oscar Tagle (Mitsubishi) + 4m03,8s.

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Judd ready for marathon rally

Written by Fabien Kornél

One of New Zealand’s most experienced rally competitors, Jeff Judd, is ready to take on New Zealand’s only marathon rally, the Silver Fern Rally, when it gets underway on November 14.

Judd is highly respected around New Zealand as both a driver and co-driver, with achievements including contesting the Production World Rally Championship last year as co-driver to Mark Tapper.

The Christchurch Driver, along with co-driver Mark Smith, will contest the week-long rally in a Ford Escort RS1800 built to full classic specifications. The car has a strong history, winning the 1998 edition of the prestigious Otago Classic Rally as well as the 1999 Club Rally championship, which was later known as Rally Xtreme. After a crash at a classic race meeting in 2000, the car has been re-shelled across the last ten years and is ready for the demands of the Silver Fern.

Judd has been seeded second amongst an international field, just behind South African driver Geoff Bell in a similar car and is widely regarded as New Zealand’s best hope to win the Jim Clark Trophy for the first ‘period’ classic car home.

The Silver Fern Rally has run on three previous occasions with Judd having competed each time. After co-driving in 1990 and again in 2006 for Englishman Grant Shand, Judd got behind the wheel in 2008 in a similar car and was inside the top three on each of the five trouble-free days, however problems on the other three days meant the end result was 23rd overall.

The epay Silver Fern Rally gets underway on November 14, running for seven days with six stages on each day. Day one sees crews start the rally in Christchurch with a loop before returning for an overnight halt. The following day, crews will travel onto Timaru one night, then further south to Dunedin on day three. Day Four, which loops around Dunedin, has the longest distance of any day and two of the three longest stages of the event at 100.75km and 50.49 for a day total of nearly 250 competitive kilometres. Day five sees the crews head south to Invercargill, then north to Alexandra on Day six. The seventh and final day will lead the remaining teams to the Queenstown finish and the crews who get there will have traveled 1059km of special stages as well as 1850km of touring stages, where all road rules must be obeyed.

Judd’s 2010 Silver Fern campaign is backed by John Jones Steel, BNT, Fuchs Lubricants, VINZ Testing Stations, Waimate Pharmacy, Magnum Compliance Services, Balclutha Nissan, Canterbury Stoneguards, Import Part Specialists, Silvester V8 Performance, Garden City Helicopters and Windscreens Nationwide.

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IT/MIS-Programmer Vacancy at Sinar Mas

Job Information
Position IT/MIS-Programmer
Job Type Employee
Work Location Office
Employment Status FullTime
Work Place Jakarta
Salary Negotiable
Gender Both

Company Information
Company Name Bank Sinarmas
Industry Finance/Banking
Company Size Medium (51 – 149 employees)
Company Type Multinational Company
City Jakarta
Country Indonesia
Homepage http://www.banksinarmas.com
Company Profile
Bank Sinarmas
Requirements
Minimum Experience 1
Minimum Degree Bachelor (S1)
Skill 1. C++ Language – 1 years (Required)
2. ASP – 1 years (Required)
3. VB.NET – 1 years (Required)
Additional Information
• Minimum Degree in Computer Science, Computer/Electrical/Electronic Engineering or relevant discipline
• Willing to learn, and work independently, and as team player
• Possess positive work attitude, proactive, and initiative.
• Have a good analytical and logic thinking.
• Good knowledge on DBMS & RDBMS
• Have technical experience in programming language (like C or C++, VB or VB.net, ASP, etc)
• Have knowledge on banking products or having experience in programming for financial institution would be an advantage.

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Bayern on the mend with four-goal show

Defending German champions Bayern Munich scored a morale-boosting 4-2 win over Freiburg on Friday night after a sizzling second half brought three goals to move the Bavarians up to seventh spot.

Though foing well in the Champions League, Bayern have had a poor time of it in the league so far this term – but the three points lifted them provisionally level with sixth-placed Hamburg with 15 points after only their fourth win in 10 games.

Martin Demichelis scored the only goal of the first half to bolster Bayern’s confidence before Mario Gomez on the hour, Anatoliy Timoshchuk and then Toni Kroos completed the rout – Stefan Reisinger briefly putting Freiburg back in it at 2-1.

A late own goal from Bayern defender Edson Braafheid was scant consolation for the visitors, who started off the match three points clear of their southern rivals.

On Sunday, both Bundesliga leaders Mainz – nine points clear of Bayern with a match in hand – and closest rivals Borussia Dortmund will be looking to get over German Cup disappointments when they clash with top spot up for grabs.

Mainz suffered only their second defeat of the season on Wednesday when they were shocked 2-1 at second division Alemannia Aachen in the German Cup second round, while Dortmund lost 4-2 on penalties at third-tier Kickers Offenbach.

With a two-point lead, Mainz can open up a five-point gap at the top of the table if they can beat Juergen Klopp’s young guns.

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Raul to the rescue as Schalke end home win drought

Former Spanish international great Raul scored a brace as Bundesliga strugglers Schalke 04 finally ended their jinx at the Veltins-Arena with a 3-0 home defeat of St. Pauli on Friday.

Schalke finished runners-up last season but have made a disastrous start to the 2011 campaign with one win in their first 10 games, prior to this victory, leaving them hovering precariously around the relegation zone.

Raul moved to the German side in July on a two-year deal after making over 500 appearances for Real Madrid, and has come in for criticism in recent weeks despite scoring a brace in the Champions league against Hapoel Tel Aviv last month.

Felix Magath’s side went into this match with plenty of pressure — it is Schalke’s worst ever start to the season — but showed enough composure and determination to keep their first clean sheet since February 2010.

Raul opened the scoring on 14 minutes, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, a former teammate of Raul’s at Real Madrid, doubling the lead in the 53rd minute.

Raul put the match well beyond reach of St. Pauli with his second goal of the game nine minutes from regulation time.

“It’s a relief to win at home and I’m very happy for Raul, who as well as scoring two goals showed he can play alongside Huntelaar,” said Magath.

Central defender Christoph Metzelder, who has been a target for some Schalke fans in recent weeks, was more than happy at having conceded no goals.

“I hope this will be the start of better things for us. In any case, it has given us a confidence boost and showed that our defence is becoming a bit more solid,” said Metzelder.

Schalke were second from bottom and moved up two places to 15th on nine points, 16 adrift of league leaders Borussia Dortmund. St. Pauli remain in 13th on 13 points.

German champions Bayern Munich are seventh, 10 points off the pace, ahead of their away match Saturday to Borussia Moenchengladbach. BERLIN (AFP)

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Dortmund extend lead after seeing off Hamburg

Bundesliga leaders Dortmund underlined their credentials at the top of the table on Friday with a 2-0 home win over Hamburg in the rain to open a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

On a filthy night in Dortmund at a packed Signal Iduna Park in front of a sell-out 80,720 crowd, the home side picked up three more points to open the seven-point lead over second-place Mainz ahead of this weekend’s matches.

Dortmund are flying high at the moment this was their tenth league win of the season. Their defeat to Leverkusen back in August on the first day of the season is the only blot on their copybook this term.

“It was very difficult for us against an oppoent who played so defensively,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.

“It took us a while to get into the game, but things worked better for us after the break.

“Hamburg came back into the game late on, which made life hard for us.

“But we are very happy with the win.”

Superb second-half goals by Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, his sixth of the season, and Lucas Barrios, his seventh, sealed the win.

The hosts had plenty to celebrate in midweek when uncapped defender Marcel Schmelzer, 22, and 18-year-old midfielder Mario Goetze were called into the German squad along with striker Kevin Grosskreutz and defender Mats Hummels.

Goetze wasted the best chance of the first half when Schmelzer fired in a cross, but the teenager could not connect cleanly with the chance and the opportunity went begging.

With his side top of the league, coach Jurgen Klopp seems to be feeling the pressure when he clashed angrily with the fourth official when a decision went against his side in the first-half.

Dortmund took the lead when Kagawa rifled in a shot from the edge of the penalty area which took a deflection off Hamburg’s Germany defender Heiko Westermann and flew into the net on 49 minutes.

Barrios compounded Hamburg’s misery when he tapped home a cross from Grosskreutz on 70 minutes after Dortmund had ripped apart the Hamburg defence.

The defeat leaves Hamburg seventh in the table. (Afp)

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Eduardo howler hands Inter narrow Genoa win

An embarrassing mistake from Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo handed champions Inter Milan a 1-0 victory away to Genoa at the Marrassi stadium on Friday.

Ghana midfielder Muntari Sulley scored the winner three minutes into first half stoppage time but it was Eduardo’s gaffe that proved crucial.

Inter moved second ahead of the weekend games, a point behind leaders Lazio and one above city rivals AC Milan, who host Juventus on Saturday night.

But Rafael Benitez’s side will also be counting the cost of this match having lost goalkeeper Julio Cesar and midfielder Esteban Cambiasso to injuries.

Benitez said he was happier with his side than following last week’s home draw with Sampdoria.

“It was a different game to the one against Sampdoria against a team that is difficult to play against and played well,” he said.

“Our character came shining through, it’s true that (Samuel) Eto’o missed an easy chance but after the break we created five or six more.”

Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini said his team had deserved more.

“I’m very disappointed with the result and for the fans, it should have ended differently because we didn’t deserve to lose,” he said.

“We played well and created many chances.

“We gave away too many balls but we played with organisation in defence and we counter-attacked with speed.

“At the end we played more physically, we could have got at least a draw.

“I’m disappointed we dropped these points but we played with great spirit.”

Inter had the first clear chance of the game on 13 minutes as French winger Jonathan Biabiany went on a mazy run, beating three players and slipping the ball to Wesley Sniejder, whose shot sent Eduardo plunging to his right to gather at the second attempt.

Genoa threatened next on 21 minutes as Luca Toni ran at the Inter defence, beat Lucio and let fly from just outside the area but Cesar leapt to his left to beat it away.

Giandomenico Mesto was then well placed to shoot on 24 minutes but curled his effort gently into Cesar’s arms.

Following 15 goals in 13 games before this one, Serie A top scorer Eto’o proved he was human with an incredible miss on 29 minutes as he ran onto Muntari’s inch-perfect pass but spooned his shot from 10 yards high and wide with only Eduardo to beat.

Inter full-back Davide Santon was lucky to stay on the pitch after driving his studs into Chico’s head, receiving only a booking.

Marco Rossi should have scored for the hosts on 42 minutes following sustained Genoa pressure as Chico centred from the right but the midfielder scuffed his shot from eight yards and it bobbled wide.

Into first half stoppage time Eduardo handed Inter a gift that had shades of England goalkeeper Robert Green’s World Cup howler against USA about it.

Muntari shot from distance but straight at the Portuguese, only for the ball to bounce in front of the keeper and bounce over his shoulder and in.

Sneijder created a glorious chance for Biabiany seven minutes after the restart with a flicked ball over the defence but Eduardo came out to block and make amends for his earlier error.

Sneijder had a pair of chances from free-kicks but fired both over the bar before Cesar was forced off with a hamstring problem, replaced by Luca Castellazzi, who saved comfortably from a Luca Toni header.

Genoa substitute Mattia Destro lost his balance as he shot from the edge of the area but then 11 minutes from time Domenico Criscito brilliantly took the ball on his chest only to send a volley arrowing just past Castellazzi’s left-hand post.

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What has happened to Maicon and Nesta?

Maicon was hailed as the best right back in the world not so long ago but Tottenham’s Gareth Bale has terrorised him twice in two weeks and Inter Milan fans are beginning to wonder if they should have cashed in and sold him to Real Madrid after all in the close season.

In the opposite San Siro dressing room, AC Milan’s Alessandro Nesta will also be getting a little twitchy after being exposed by Real Madrid on Wednesday.

He looked out of position for Gonzalo Higuain’s opener and his distribution was the worst I have seen from him. Even fans sat near me were surprised by his poor display, which shows what high standards Nesta has kept.

Nesta was among the very best centre backs in the world when Milan triumphed in the Champions League in 2007 but a long period of injury since has robbed the 34-year-old of some of his aura.

Juventus also really worried him in their 2-1 win last weekend.

Maicon is a different case, however. The Brazilian is still only 29 and should be in his prime. He was supposed to be the quickest and toughest right back around but speedster Bale completely dominated him.

Rumours of a move to Real were constant during the close season but Inter decided to end talks after deciding he was too good to let go after their treble triumph.

Did they make a mistake? I would say that last season Maicon was not quite as good as the season before or even the season before that. The signs were there that maybe he had peaked.

Players tend to have a purple patch — Ronaldinho at Barcelona, Crisitano Ronaldo in 2008 at Manchester United — and they are never quite as special afterwards.

In Maicon’s case, his hunger could well have diminished slightly after winning everything last season. Perhaps a transfer was exactly what he needed.

Maicon and Nesta are men enough to prove the doubters wrong but in the big games they need to start performing again. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

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Vacancy as Field Service Engineers, QA Specialist

Tetra Pak Indonesia is a multinational company providing the best integrated processing and packaging solutions for the food industry. To support our growth we are currently seeking qualified personnel in the following positions.

Field Service Engineers
The successful candidate will be able to deliver our Service Products and support to our customers by providing commissioning, preventive maintenance and troubleshooting services.
To support our business expansion in Indonesia, we invite applicants to be located in Jakarta & Batam.

Job Purpose:
Ensure reliable operational performance of our customers filling lines
Reduce customers’ operational cost
Support product creation and life- cycle management

Key Responsibilities:
Troubleshooting – Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve technical malfunctions and breakdowns. Conduct basic root cause analysis of problem, to ensure rapid resolution and/or escalation to appropriate colleagues.
Maintenance – Plan, coordinate and execute planned preventive maintenance activities to a high standard and in line with agreed procedures, ensuring effective operation of Tetra Pak line equipment. Reinstate equipment into production environment with a high level of customer satisfaction.
Quality and Safety – To work in accordance with all safety regulations & requirements. Understand importance of product quality and ensure a safe working culture in the team.

Qualifications/Criteria:
University degree in Mechanical, electronic or “Mechatronic” engineering from reputable university with GPA minimum 2.75 of 4 scales
Several years of field technical experiences in the liquid food industry, ideally in the machine or engine construction or automation/electrical engineering
Knowledge of PLC programming and electrical trouble shooting and other control system
Preventive maintenance experience
Ability to maintain customer relationships, strong technical skills, ability to assign and positively influence the work of others in a non-reporting relationship
Ability to deliver against deadlines and commitments
For Batam area, applicant must be Batam resident (KTP)

Quality Assurance Specialist

The position provides technical assistance/support for troubleshooting & product quality issues for customers, manages customer quality performance analysis databases, provides quality assurance training and knowledge in food science, performs/supports regulatory projects (i.e., commissioning & microbiological validation) of Tetra Pak aseptic filling, packaging machine platforms and processing equipment.

Qualifications:
Bachelor degree in food technology, food science, food engineering or food microbiology with GPA minimum 3.0
Minimum working experience of 1-2 years in food industry: e.g. performing food chemical analysis, microbiological evaluation and rough identification of microorganism
Fresh graduate are welcome to apply
Strong analytical skills
Excellent communication and customer relationship skills
Good command of English
Computer literacy
Willing to be relocated across the country
If you have the qualifications and interest to answer this ad, please submit your resume, with recent photograph and other credentials within 1 week from the
date of this advertisement. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Please write the job position on the left corner of your envelope or as your e-mail subject and send to:

HR Director, PT. Tetra Pak Indonesia. PO BOX 4885, Jakarta 12049

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Assistant Finance Manager (Based in Batam)

Responsibilities:
Responsible for the Finance Division and its activities that include financial accounting, cost and management accounting, credit control and taxation.
Budget planning, cash flow projections and reporting and all aspects of operational accounts
Formulate and implement financial policies as well as internal control procedures
Ensure timely submission and consolidation of monthly/quarterly management reports and analyze business information
Support the management and Corporate Head Office with advice and information on financial performance data and analysis, accounting standards and requirements, legal and tax matters
Compute & process all related payroll & taxation for the local and expatriate employees.
Carry out duties in accordance with company’s management policy, procedures and work instructions on financial matters

Requirements:
Degree in Finance/Accounting or any equivalent professional accounting qualifications
Minimum 5 to 8 years' relevant working experience, with at least 3 years in supervisory capacity
Good knowledge of Indonesia’s accounting standards, tax and statutory requirements
Experience in manufacturing industry is a must
Experience in SAP and/or audit will be an added advantage
Self-motivated, independent and ability to work under pressure with accuracy and commitment
Good command of written and spoken English
Ability to converse in Mandarin/dialect will be an added advantage (for communication with Mandarin-speaking associates)
Take up the challenge and email your detailed resume in English with colour photograph, including current and expected remuneration, to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

(We regret that only short-listed candidates will be notified)

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McDermott vacancies (Batam Base)

The biggest offshore fabricator in Indonesia and one of the largest offshore construction companies in the world requires proficient, efficient, and highly motivated individuals for the following positions:

PROJECT ACCOUNTANT [PA]
Liaising with either the Project Director/Project Manager or Project Controls Manager on all financial matters related to the Contract and Subcontracts.

Raising invoices in accordance with the defined monthly cut off milestones and/or Contract terms and ensuring that all the required invoice backup are maintained to the maximum extent possible.

Maintaining registers of invoices for each contract and associated Subcontracts.

Advising either the Project Director/Project Manager or Project Controls Manager of the payment position of the Contract on a Monthly and/or regular basis for the necessary follow up with Client/Customer.

Preparing quarterly financial forecasts of project commitments and revenue. Ensuring charges to the chart of accounts are correctly coded. Issue of additional cost code job numbers for new activities/work as and when required.

Advising either the Project Director/Project Manager or Project Controls Manager well within time for initiating corrective actions wherever feasible on any costs anticipated to exceed allocated budgets.

Preparing and maintaining project cash flow forecast.

Reviewing project correspondence files to keep up to date on all project variances, sensitivities, receivable disputes, change orders and/or claims.

Maintaining a register of financial instruments and obtaining all relevant information necessary for their issue, maintenance, and cancellation. Ensuring that appropriate accounting distributions are entered on all source documentation, i.e. requisitions, subcontract invoices, etc.

If your vision of a work environment includes respect for ideas and colleagues who rank among the best, please apply. Send your application and resume with copy of qualification certificates and recent photograph (4x6cm) no later than a week to:

HR DEPARTMENT
PT McDERMOTT INDONESIA
Jl. Bawal Batu Ampar - Batam

Email : This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Kranjcar double puts Croatia top of Group

Zagreb - Niko Kranjcar scored the first two goals and laid on the third as Croatia breezed past Malta 3-0 to go top of Euro 2012 Group F qualifying on Wednesday.

The out-of-favour Tottenham Hotspur midfielder cracked in a fierce drive from the edge of the penalty box to put the Croatians in front in the 19th minute.

Kranjcar then produced a replica effort to make it 2-0 in the 42nd.

His Tottenham team mate Luka Modric rattled the post while forwards Eduardo da Silva and Mladen Petric also went close as Croatia dominated the first half.

Michael Mifsud ballooned Malta`s best chance high over the bar early in the second period.

Substitute Nikola Kalinic came on for Petric with half an hour to go and he made sure of victory in the 81st minute by heading in a fine cross from Kranjcar.

"We are happy to be top although we feel the group is wide open. Our next two matches against Georgia will be of crucial importance," Croatia coach Slaven Bilic told reporters.

"Niko`s two goals were fantastic and I`m delighted to see him going for long-range efforts ... as his shooting ability is top notch."

The match, played on a rain-soaked pitch, marked the 20th anniversary of Croatia`s first game as an independent country, a friendly against United States.

Unbeaten Croatia have 10 points from four games, two ahead of Greece and four in front of Georgia. Malta are bottom with no points.

Bilic`s team resume their qualifying campaign in March with a trip to Georgia. (A008/A011/S026)

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