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ROME: Inter Milan stretched their lead at the top of the Serie A table to nine points, for a day at least, after a crucial 2-1 victory at Siena on Saturday.

Brazilian full-back Maicon was the hero with both goals, either side of an equalizer from Moroccan Houssine Kharja, as the reigning three-time champions won for the eighth league match in a row.

Inter have not dropped points since October and will take a lead of between six and nine points into the three-week winter break, depending on how Juventus fare at Atalanta scheduled on Sunday .

Jose Mourinho was so happy with the winning goal that he was the first to reach Maicon to celebrate, even though the full-back was behind one end. But the Portuguese admitted his side had been lucky to win.

“I have to say we didn’t deserve to win this match and not because Maicon’s second goal was clearly offside, that’s part of the game, but because of the way Siena played,” he said.

“They played really well with a lot of pressing and intensity which gave us a lot of problems. But to win the title you also have to win some matches like this.

“Why am I so happy? Because it seemed to me as if Siena were the more likely to win it and that we’d go home with a maximum of one point.”

The first period was a tame affair with little happening until Maicon gave the visitors the lead on 34 minutes.

Before that only Zlatan Ibrahimovic had struck at goal in anger but his free-kick skidded well wide.

But soon after the half-hour mark Siena’s defenders were punished for ball-watching at a corner.

Mario Balotelli sent over a pea-roller of a cross and Maicon somehow managed to steal in and poke the ball home from inside the six-yard box despite being surrounded by a posse of Siena defenders.

However Siena didn’t let their heads drop and equalized a minute before the break as Cristiano Del Grosso crossed from the left and Kharja threw himself full length in front of Maxwell to nod home from close range.

Inter unsurprisingly came out after the break with more purpose and Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari curled an effort just wide of the upright.

On 58 minutes Ibrahimovic came within inches of giving Inter the lead as he crashed a shot against the cross-bar.

Siena were dangerous too, though, and substitute Massimo Maccarone should have done better with his close-range header than send it high over the bar.

The hosts were made to pay for that miss as Maicon grabbed the winner seven minutes from time.

Center-back Ivan Cordoba tried his luck from distance but his shot took a deflection and landed at the feet of Maxwell, who released his Brazilian compatriot with a clever flick, leaving Maicon to apply a chipped finish over Gianluca Curci, despite a strong hint of offside.

Still Siena could have come away with something but poor finishing cost them again as Abdulkader Ghezzal skied his left-foot shot from six yards.

In the day’s other game Lazio won for the first time since Nov 9 in a 1-0 success over Palermo to move up to sixth.

The early season leaders had gone five matches without a win but overcame their Sicilian opponents thanks to a strike from club captain Tommaso Rocchi, who nipped in front of his marker to clip home Frenchman Mourad Meghni’s near post cross.

Lazio coach Delio Rossi said overall he was delighted with his team’s efforts up to Christmas.

You know the economy is ailing when a Manhattan fashion boutique starts offering free soup.

The temporary fashion boutique calling itself The 1929 is selling chic clothes and giving away soup and coffee.

The store is located in one of the trendiest shopping districts in the city. Manager and co-owner Aaron Genuth says the store in lower Manhattan’s SoHo district was inspired by the Great Depression of the 1930s.

His partner Levi Okunov says they want people to go to the store, have a bowl of soup and try on some clothing. The store sells the work of independent designers on its ground floor.

The basement is an art and performance space where the free nourishment is doled out. The store is expected to remain open through next month.

Always concerned about staying in touch with her subjects, Queen Elizabeth II has invited the royal family to follow her example and tighten the purse strings during the financial downturn.

The 82-year-old monarch has warned her grandsons Princes William, 26, and Harry, 24 — third and fourth in line to the throne — that all ostentatious signs of living it up would be inappropriate, according to newspapers.

British subjects are apparently in no mood to see the young royals partying in exclusive London nightclubs while the kingdom sinks into recession, the cost of living rockets and jobs are lost.

“Whatever is the mood of the nation, she (Queen Elizabeth) tries to go along with that mood,” Nicholas Davies, an author of several books on the monarchy, told AFP.

The sovereign has a personal fortune of 320 million pounds (475 million dollars, 355 million euros), according to The Sunday Times newspaper’s 2008 Rich List, but is not a spendthrift.

“She’s not a flamboyant character and never has been,” Davies said.

“She is not someone who has gone and spoiled her children, because she doesn’t believe in spoiling them. She would expect them all (the other royals) to follow her example this Christmas.

“Children or grand-children, they will all behave in the same way. It is unlikely that this coming season we will see William and Harry going out to nightclubs, getting blind drunk and fooling around with attractive girls.”

Adapting to the credit crunch should not be difficult for Queen Elizabeth, who has long since garnered a reputation for looking after the pennies.

For example, she insists that the Buckingham Palace lights are turned off when rooms are vacated and left-overs from banquets are re-used.

Annual head of state expenditure has dropped from 87.3 million pounds in 1991-1992 to 40 million pounds in 2007-2008.

In mid-October this year, during her state visit to Slovakia and Slovenia, she showed how she has cut back her wardrobe expenditure as a nod to the tougher times enveloping her subjects.

For a state banquet in the the Slovene capital Ljubljana, the queen asked her dressmakers to make her a formal gown out of some material she was given more than 20 years ago during a tour of the Middle East.

For her walkabout in the city centre, she wore a red outfit already seen at an official engagement in April. In Slovakia, she appeared in the same pink wool outfit that she wore on Easter Sunday.

Normally, etiquette demands that the queen never wears the same outfit twice.

However, the press believes Her Majesty is a convert to “credit crunch couture”, or fashion for those whose clothing spending has been hit by the financial downturn.

Her husband Prince Philip remains a peppery naval officer without no zest for flashy spending. At the age of 87, he still wears trousers bought 30 years ago.

In line with her position as head of state, Queen Elizabeth avoids voicing her opinion on political matters.

But during a recent visit to the London School of Economics, she called the situation “awful” and asked: “Why did nobody notice it?”, showing her feelings on the events gripping her subjects.

The queen has not been completely spared by the credit crunch. Her dressmaker Hardy Amies and favoured porcelain maker Royal Worcester and Spode have both filed for administration.

A Canadian official expressed the hope Wednesday that his country and the United States would resort to dialogue to resolve their soft lumber trade dispute, according to Canadian Press.
Bob Rae, a lawyer acting for Canada’s Free Trade Lumber Council, told Canadian-American Business Council in Washington that the U.S industry should allow bilateral talks a chance to resolve the decades-old dispute.
Both countries have a lot to lose if another trade spat erupts over lumber, he said.
Canada’s 10 billion U.S dollars annual softwood sales account for one third of the market in the United States, which is not self-sufficient in lumber, he said.
“The suggestion that both countries should appoint special envoys with the authorities to take a look at the factual issues surrounding lumber production in both Canada and the U.S. has our strong support because it starts from the premise of interdependence” he said.
However, U.S. trade officials have been lukewarm to the idea of special envoys, saying the Canadian proposal does not spell out what powers they would have to work out a solution and how long it should take to reach one.
The five-year Canada-U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement signed in 1996 is set to expire at the end of this month. The agreement restricted duty-free exports from Canada.
American lumber producers have threatened to initiate a countervailing duty action almost immediately. They are also considering tacking on a potentially more punitive dumping complaint.
Despite supposed free trade, Canada has been forced to compromise because of its unequal position in the key two-way trading relationship, Rae said. he added that Americans have a right to purse their trade remedies, but dialogue makes more sense.

Ireland’s Damien McGrane battled through torrential rain at the Beijing CBD International Golf Course to claim his much-awaited maiden title at the Volvo China Open yesterday.

McGrane closed with a 1-over-par 73 for a 10-under-par 278 total to take a 9-stroke victory over Oliver Wilson and Simon Griffiths from England, as well as French rookie, Michael Lorenzo-Vera, who were all tied for second on 287.

Current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader, Mark Brown of New Zealand, was a further shot back on 288, with defending champion Markus Brier of Austria and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

The torrential rain on the final day did not provide ideal scoring conditions and the event will go down in the history books as one of the few tournaments that did not see even see a single player breaking par on the final day.

Only four players achieved a four-day total of under-par rounds at the $2.2 million event sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and China Golf Association. Naturally, McGrane was one of them.

“Anyone with any sense wouldn’t have gone out in that. It was one of those days when everyone had to knuckle down and do they best they could,” said McGrane, who earned the $366,660 prize purse.

“It came my way today, the weather if not on my side, helped stop other players making a charge at my lead. Once I made as many pars as possible, the Volvo China Open was mine,” the jubilant Irishman said.

Asian Tour regular, Griffiths, began the day tied for ninth and made a spirited charge by posting two important birdies, making up for the four bogeys that he made throughout his round.

“I knew it was going to be bad when I woke up this morning and saw the gray skies. I just went in with a positive attitude as I knew it was going to be very difficult for everyone,” Griffiths said. “You just have to try your best. Luckily, I hit the ball well off the tee and I got half decent scores.”

2007 Asian Tour No 1, Liang Wenchong of China, struggled on his opening front-nine with four bogeys to make it to the halfway mark at 4-over par. Two consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th brought back that much needed confidence. However, the home favorite could not make further birdies after that to close in on the leaders.

“I was actually very worried whether I’d eventually get a final round score of about 80 after my bogey-bogey-bogey start on the first three holes,” Liang said. “Luckily I saved myself on the back nine with two birdies.”

“I’m so touched to see so many of my fans carrying their umbrellas and supporting me out there in the pouring rain. I hope to put in a stronger performance for my fans in Shanghai next week,” added Liang, who finished as the top Chinese player, tied-eight.

“I didn’t expect to be nervous because we’ve done all the previews, we’ve had all the critics here. … But I was terrified before we went out. I was like, ‘Omigod, this is it.’” — Daniel Radcliffe, on the Broadway opening of “Equus.”

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“Leaders are ultimately responsible for the commitments they made to end poverty by the year 2015. We’re halfway through that mark. Those promises have not been kept in terms of the funding and what we are trying to say is that we are paying attention. We want the promises that were made in our name to be kept.” — Kristin Davis, who helped launch a new campaign to cut global poverty in half by 2015.

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“We are not a passive generation, we’re very proactive. … We want to see poverty eliminated because we believe it is possible.” — Shakira.

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“I’m bringing a message of peace, and I think that’s what the region needs.” — Paul McCartney, rejecting criticism of his concert in Tel Aviv.

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“It was the first decision I made as a father.” — Clay Aiken, on acknowledging that he’s gay in an interview in People magazine.

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“We’ve had old banners being held up, new banners being held up, people singing the old songs, partying with the new songs, bras thrown onstage with women flashing us.” — Donnie Wahlberg, on the New Kids on the Block reunion tour.

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“Seven babies were conceived out of this film and only one was a boy. There is something up there in the Kununurra water because we all went swimming in the waterfalls, so we can call it the fertility waters now.” — Nicole Kidman, saying swimming in Australian Outback waterfalls might have contributed to her unexpected pregnancy over the past year.

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“If anyone’s seen my purse. I left it under my seat.” — Tina Fey announced to reporters backstage after winning three Emmy Awards.

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“I’ve been out on the street, I know what it’s about.” — Tyler Perry, who has donated enough food to feed 1,000 families for two weeks in Atlanta.

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“For a very long time.” — Lindsay Lohan’s answer to a question about how long she’s been dating Samantha Ronson. The pair had called in to the syndicated radio program “Loveline,” and it was the first time Lohan publicly confirmed their relationship.

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“I gave her a ring. It’s not an engagement ring, but it’s to show that I’m committed and ready to take things to the next level. Not the next, next level, but the next level. I don’t feel like I have to put on a facade around her. I feel like she accepts me for who I am and all my goofy glory, and has yet to alert the authorities or call the police on me, and I love her for that.” — Travis McCoy, frontman for Gym Class Heroes, on being head over heels in love with singer Katy Perry.

Wall Street heads into another turbulent week with investors set to pore over a government report on retail sales and earnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to get a better reading on the consumer.

There are growing signs that the deepening economic slowdown has caused Americans to tighten their purse strings. There was fresh evidence of this past week when retailers posted the worst October same-store sales in 35 years, and analysts believe the upcoming holiday shopping season could be among the slowest in decades.

With consumer spending driving more than two-thirds of the US economy, investors will be paying close attention to earnings outlooks for some of the nation’s biggest retailers. Wal-Mart, the nation’s biggest retail chain, will post results on Thursday. Kohl’s Corp., JCPenney Co., Macy’s Inc., and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. are scheduled to release reports as well.

Investors will get an overall picture of consumer spending on Friday when the Commerce Department releases its October retail sales index. The closely watched gauge is expected to show sales dropping 1.2 percent for the month after falling 1.2 percent in September. Excluding the battered automobile industry, sales are expected to have fallen 0.9 percent.

The market, still trying to recover from October’s devastating losses, will likely zigzag as investors react to these reports. This has been the pattern during the past few weeks, with major indexes swinging from one extreme to another in capricious trading.

Many analysts believe this volatility is part of a bottoming-out process. The real test is to see in the coming days if investors have already priced in the potential for negative news or if fear of a protracted recession will trigger another stream of selling.

“The news is going to be really bad, and that shouldn’t be a surprise to investors,” said Peter Cohan, principal of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. “But, I’m feeling uncomfortable that the market is a daily mood ring for the economy. The small investors are largely out of the market, and what you end up with is a small number of very large players making decisions.”

Cohan pins the volatility on hedge funds, pension funds, and big university endowments unloading stocks to raise collateral and scooping up undervalued stocks to seize opportunity. He believes this will eventually result in a more stable trading environment that will lure retail investors back, and add stability to major indexes.

Hedge funds could come to center stage this week if they receive another wave of redemption requests from investors. The upcoming Nov. 15 deadline for redemptions could cause further instability in the market, Cohan said.

Wall Street had enjoyed its biggest Election Day rally in history last Tuesday, but could not cling to those gains. This was followed by a two-day loss of about 10 percent in the major indexes, including a 929-point drop in the Dow, as investors turned their focus once more to the economy’s woes.

For the week, the Dow Jones industrial average and broader benchmarks such as the Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost about 4 percent after surging 10 percent or more the week before. Technical analysts are keeping a close eye on all the data this week, with continued concerns that the Dow will test its Oct. 10 intraday low of 7,882.51.

Stock futures trading early Sunday evening showed a slightly positive start for the markets. S&P 500 futures gained 0.83 percent, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.66 percent.

There are a number of other reports on tap that might give more insight into the economy. On Thursday, Wall Street gets readings on the labor market and trade deficit, followed by a look at consumer sentiment on Friday. Trading on Tuesday could be more subdued with the bond market and some banks closed due to Veterans Day.

Additionally, investors are watching for developments with General Motors Corp., Chrysler and Ford Motor Co. after the automakers met with Congressional leaders last week to secure financial help.

Democratic leaders in Congress asked the Bush administration on Saturday to provide more aid to the struggling auto industry, which is bleeding cash and jobs as sales have dropped to their lowest level in a quarter-century. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the administration should consider expanding the $700 billion bailout to include car companies.

“We must safeguard the interests of American taxpayers, protect the hundreds of thousands of automobile workers and retirees, stop the erosion of our manufacturing base, and bolster our economy,” Pelosi, D-Calif., and Reid, D-Nev., wrote.

Even more news might be generated out of Washington with the possible selection of a new Treasury secretary by President-elect Barack Obama. He has already identified that the economy is the new administration’s biggest priority, and a Treasury pick could lift stocks.

Among those being considered for the post include former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, Federal Reserve Bank of New York President Timothy Geithner, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

Yang Taoli and Yang Hongmei emerged the early favorites to capture the inaugural China LPGA Tour title on Wednesday as the Sichuan natives each carded a four-under 68 for a two-shot lead during the first round of the 50,000 U.S. dollars Beijing Orient Pearl Championship.

Thailand’s Porani Chutichai and China’s Shen Yanhua were equal third after a 70 at the Beijing Orient Pearl Golf and Country Club, while four players were in equal fifth with 73. Xia Xin, who got into the field via Monday qualifying, was the top amateur following a 74.

Yang Hongmei, who won twice on the old Orient Masters Tour last year with victories in Beijing and Wenzhou, started her campaign with a flawless bogey-free round that featured four birdies, including a chip-in from a greenside bunker on the 412-yard 16th hole.

“That chip-in from the bunker on 16 was the highlight of my round,” said the Haikou-based veteran who was playing in a group with Porani and Shen. “Generally I am pleased with this round, the first round of the new CLPGA Tour, but I’m a little disappointed with my short game. I am not good at 60 to 70 yards into the green. ”

Yang Taoli, playing one group in front of Yang Hongmei in the calm morning conditions, opened her round with a birdie and then reeled off four more, including a near ace on the 176-yard 17th hole where she put her tee shot to within a foot of the pin with a six-iron. She then found bunker trouble and bogeyed the 499-yard, par-five 18th.

“I birdied the first hole so I felt comfortable from the very beginning. Today I was 100 percent in greens in regulation until the last hole. My irons were very good,” said Yang Taoli who posted four runner-up or equal runner-up finishes last year.

“I haven’t thought too much about winning, maybe that’s why I am playing well. The peaceful mind is a key point today. The next two days I will try and keep this mindset.”

Porani, who was using a revamped swing for the first time in a tournament since beginning to work with new coach Shane Wilding, said she could feel the difference in her approach and second shots.

“It’s an okay start for me because this is the first tournament where I have used my new swing. But I feel like I can do better than this. My putting could be better,” said the 23-year-old, third at last month’s Thailand LPGA in Chonburi.

“Today I played safe, but tomorrow I will play aggressive. Today I was just happy to put my ball around the pin. Tomorrow I need to attack the pins and get closer.”

The China LPGA Tour, created by the China Golf Association to foster the development of the women’s pro game in the country, will play seven events in its inaugural season. The first six tournaments - in Beijing, Yantai, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Xinjiang - each feature a prize purse of US$50,000. The tour concludes in December with the fourth edition of the US$250,000 Orient China Ladies Open, a co-sanctioned event with the Korea LPGA.

China’s General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) ordered tight airport security across the nation on Friday after British police foiled a terrorist plot to blow up aircraft between the United Kingdom and the United States.

But no flights heading for the two countries were cancelled, the CAAC said.

Starting from Friday, China’s major international airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou all banned liquids or gels from being taken aboard planes heading for the United States.

A news release issued by Beijing Capital International Airport said that drinks, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel and any other liquids or gels are banned from the aircraft.

Passengers will have to leave these items in their check-in luggage or dispose of them at security checks.

The only exceptions are for baby food when the baby is travelling.

Penicillin and prescription medicine can still be taken onto the planes if the prescription is in the ticket holder’s name.

“We were told of the ban after we arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport. Fortunately I managed to squeeze all my cosmetics into my check-in bags,” said Li Tingting, 22, a Chinese exchange student travelling to the United States.

In addition to the requirements of the US Transportation Security Administration for all flights bound for the country, the Beijing airport has also asked every passenger to take off their shoes for examination.

Examining shoes will be a regular part of the screening procedure, said the airport.

Though many European airlines have cancelled flights to the United Kingdom, none of the flights leaving Beijing for the United States or the United Kingdom were cancelled.

“As far as I know, international flights leaving Beijing have not been disrupted by the incident. British Airways’ daily flight for London took off at 10:52 am as scheduled,” said a member of the airport’s ground staff.

But travellers planning to buy cosmetics and liquor at the airport’s duty-free shops will be disappointed. According to the security rules, liquid and gels bought at the airport are also banned.

Hong Kong’s Airport Authority also warned people flying on US carriers to show up three hours in advance for security checks.

In another development, a China Southern airplane failed to take off after seven attempts on Wednesday night, reported Beijing Morning News.

Leaving Beijing for Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the flight was finally cancelled. The airlines compensated the passengers and arranged two other flights for them the next day.

Malaysia will enforce limit on the amount of liquid that airline passengers could carry in their hand bags when they depart from the country, beginning next month this year, according to local media on Tuesday.

Liquids, aerosols or gels (LAGs) in airline passengers’ hand luggage will be limited to 100 ml per luggage on all international flights departing from Malaysia, beginning on May 21, said Kamaruddin Mohd Ismail, security chief of Malaysia Airports.

LAGs carried in containers more than 100 ml will not be allowed,even if the container is partially filled, Kamaruddin said, stressing that these containers must be placed in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag with a maximum capacity of one liter, measured 20 cm by 20 cm.

The Malaysia Airports authorities is expected to provide these bags free for the first three to six months, after which passengers must get it themselves from any supermarket, Kamaruddinsaid.

The bags, with containers in, should be put for X-ray screening separately from other hand luggage, but exemptions will be made for medicine, baby milk and food and special dietary requirements needed during the flight, Kamaruddin said.

LAGs purchased at duty free shops or on board the aircraft are exempted from this, but the items must be packed in a different sealed tamper-evident plastic bag with the receipt attached, the official added.

Kamaruddin said that the new rule followed recommendations by the International Civil Aviation Organization that was issued to all Contracting States on Dec. 11 last year after the reported terrorist plot on Aug. 9 last year in Britain.