Officials say landslide kills at least 25 in southern Philippines; more missing

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Officials say landslide …

Correction: Travel-American Jewish Museum story

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In a story Nov. 10 about the National Museum of American Jewish History, The Associated Press reported …

Vaccines: Developing Plasmid DNA Vaccines

Bio Pharm: We know that vaccines developed using chicken eggs have many drawbacks. What do plasmid DNA vaccines offer that traditional cell- and eee-hased vaccines do not?

Marquet: Plasmid-DNA vaccines are much easier to manufacture. They are made in a circular DNA that is grown in bacteria. It is such an easy process compared to typical vaccines. The manufacture takes weeks versus many months. They are easy to characterize and easy to store. They have many advantages in terms of manufacturing and cost.

BioPharm: I understand that plasmid DNA vaccines can be developed faster than traditional vaccines. How much faster can they he developed, especially when it comes to …

easyJet warns that rising fuel costs will depress profits

Budget airline easyJet warned Wednesday that rising fuel costs will push profits below previous expectations, although demand for seats remains strong.

Guidance given on Feb. 7 was based on a forward price of US$840 (euro532) per tonne for jet fuel, but the current price is now over US$1,000 (euro635) per tonne, the company said. This will hit profits even though two-fifths of its fuel requirements has been hedged at US$750 (euro475) per tonne.

"First half results will be in line with our expectations, however it is pretty obvious that if the recent significant rise in the fuel price is maintained then our second half profits will …

UN: Stepped up Mideast peace efforts planned

The international community is preparing to step up diplomatic efforts to promote Middle East peace, with the creation of a Palestinian state existing peacefully alongside Israel as a key element, the U.N. political chief said Monday.

In a briefing to the U.N. Security Council, Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said the Quartet of key international players trying to promote Mideast peace efforts _ the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia _ met last Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah "to discuss plans to advance the peace process."

The Quartet remains "firmly committed to the goal of a two state …

High-tech, 3-D effects projected for casino

A special effects expert introduced by Chicago casino developersWednesday said he envisioned a high-tech amusement park wherevisitors are plunged into three-dimensional films.

Clayton Trumbull, who helped develop the "Back to the Future"ride at Universal Studios, said the $2 billion casino project "can bea centerpiece for civic and leisure activities, in effect a kind oftown square of the future."

However, Trumbull, who also supervised photographic effects forfilms such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," added that he hasnot yet signed a contract for the project with developers, who arewaiting for the Illinois Legislature to legalize casino …

10 hospitalized with heat illness during meet

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fire spokesman says 10 students participating in a cross-country race at a Los Angeles college have been taken to hospitals after suffering from heat-related illnesses.

Fire spokesman Erik Scott says 12 young people, mostly student athletes, were evaluated Thursday.

Battalion Chief Gerry Malais tells KNBC-TV two students were reported in critical condition.

Ambulances were called to Pierce …

Bucs coach Morris says Patriots are a model team

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris says the New England Patriots are a model team.

The Buccaneers (0-6) will be going for their first win of the season on Sunday against the Patriots (4-2) at Wembley Stadium in London. It's the third straight year that the NFL is playing a regular-season game in the British capital.

Morris says …

Model rockers were inevitable

It used to be that the primary link between rock stars and models wasthat they dated each other. These days, the line between the twofactions is blurred at best.

Oh sure, they're still dating each other. But check it out: JonBon Jovi and Madonna posing seductively for Versace ad campaignswhile human clothes hangers Donovan Leitch and Milla sing theirhearts out onstage.

It's not difficult to understand why this is happening. We livein an age when looks count for more than they should. The importanceof MTV in breaking acts has made a musician's look instrumental ingetting his or her group played on the network. This means that ifyou happen to be tall, thin and …

Yankees 5, Rays 4

Tampa Bay			New York
ab r h bi		ab r h bi
Damon dh	4 1 1 0		Jeter ss	5 2 5 2
Zobrist rf-2b	3 1 1 1		Grndrs cf	4 2 1 1
Longori 3b	4 0 0 0		Teixeir 1b	3 0 2 0
Ktchm 1b	3 0 0 …

UK top court rules in favor of gay asylum seekers

Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a decision to deport two gay asylum seekers who face persecution in their homelands.

A lower court had backed the government's decision to return the men to Iran and Cameroon on the grounds that they would be safe as long as they kept their sexuality secret.

Five judges ruled unanimously that this was a violation of the men's rights. They said that "to compel a homosexual person to pretend that their sexuality does not exist ... is to deny him his fundamental right to be who he is."

Homosexual acts in Iran are punishable by death, and in Cameroon by several years in jail.

The …

Lincecum sets strikeout record but loses game

Tim Lincecum had a rare bad outing, slipping in the Cy Young race as the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the Giants' young ace 9-4 on Tuesday night.

Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had four hits including a home run, and drove in three runs. Seth Smith homered and had three hits for the Rockies, who snapped a five-game road losing streak, winning on the road for the first time in September.

Ubaldo Jimenez (12-12) pitched six innings, giving up three runs and four hits with four walks and four strikeouts, to beat the Giants for the first time in five career starts. He won his third straight decision.

Chris Iannetta and Joe Koshansky also drove in two runs each for the Rockies.

Jason Grilli and Ryan Speier each threw a scoreless inning and Manuel Corpas pitched the ninth, giving up an RBI double to Nate Schierholtz.

Lincecum (17-5) struck out in 4 1-3 innings to set the San Francisco single-season record with 252 strikeouts. He also allowed six runs and five hits with five walks. His ERA jumped up to 2.66, a point higher than that of New York Mets ace Johan Santana. Lincecum lost his second straight after a six-game winning streak.

Lincecum, making a serious bid for the NL's best pitcher award, has thrown a combined 709 pitches in his last six starts (an average of 118 per start). He's scheduled to start Sunday's season finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Lincecum allowed his 11th home run, Smith's solo shot in the third, to drop him into a first place tie with Jimenez for fewest homers allowed among NL pitchers with at least 120 innings pitched.

Aaron Rowand, Omar Vizquel and Randy Winn drove in runs for the Giants, who lost their sixth in eight games.

Form in Poetry

FROM THE VAULT

BRUCE BOUCHER ON ANDREA PALLADIO

ANDREA PALLADIO IS THE MOST famous architect the world has never known. If that sounds like a paradox, it is meant to be one. Although his name has endured for centuries, Palladio the man remains a cipher: In life he was elusive, and his inner thoughts remain a mystery. What we do know about Palladio derives from the rich heritage of his drawings and projects, which convey an understanding of architectural design scarcely rivaled to this day. Born in Padua in 1508, Palladio started out as a stonemason, working his way up to master architect over the course of two decades. Specializing in domestic construction, he exercised his trade chiefly in the small northern town of Vicenza and its territory, finally gaining recognition in the last decade of his life, when he became the unofficial first architect of Venice. There he published a retrospective volume of his designs, began several churches, and was consulted on every major project-including an abortive attempt to rebuild the Doge's Palace-before dying in 1580. He left behind a number of buildings, the majority of them incomplete-and of those, none was ever finished according to his wishes. He also redrew the geography of Italy, making Vicenza a mecca for the study of post-Renaissance architecture.

"Palladio 500 anni" (Palladio 500 Years), originating at the Palazzo Barbaran da Porto in Vicenza, is the first major retrospective view of the architect's life and times in more than three decades, and is constructed around interlinking themes of Palladio's career, his design process, and his influence. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see eighty-one autograph drawings assembled from European collections, works that offer a unique insight into the architect's flair for communicating his ideas to patrons and artisans alike. Another aspect of his graphic work, his publications, will also be featured. / quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books of Architecture), first published in 1570, became one of the most important manuals in architectural history and enabled Palladio's designs to reach architects who never saw his works in person. It still remains the fullest account of Palladio's thoughts on building, and visitors will be able to leaf through the treatise in digital form. Complete with paintings by Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, and Canaletto and architectural drawings by Michelangelo, Raphael, Sansovino, and others, the show will evoke the world in which Palladio developed his skills and became a major architectural force.

Palladio was fortunate in moving to Vicenza at an early age, for it was a small city with a well-educated elite who used architecture to raise their collective status. The young Andrea's talents were spotted by a wealthy amateur, Giangiorgio Trissino, who took him into his household and went with him to Rome, where they studied the remains of ancient buildings. Trissino groomed Palladio to become the architect of the Vicentine nobility, and Palladio's successes are documented here by studies and wooden models for a number of palaces and villas, including those for the Thiene, Porto, and Chiericati families. The models are an especially welcome feature, because they represent not only what was built but also alternative ideas, now known only from Palladio's drawings; in this way, visitors can see for themselves how Palladio's studies translate into three dimensions. Splendid contemporary portraits by Vincenzo Catena of Trissino (from the Louvre) and by Veronese of Iseppo da Porto and his son (from the Uffizi) help bring Palladio's patrons to life.

The architectural design process is perhaps the most difficult to convey, but the organizers have hit upon the happy idea of grouping drawings around themes such as initial sketches, more detailed studies, and the final presentation drawings for the client. The range of graphic work, lent largely by the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, allows one to look over Palladio's shoulder as he "thinks on paper," sketching various solutions, sometimes complete with measurements and elevations. It is also possible to compare Palladio's approaches to designing palaces and villas: The former were often hemmed in by a dense, urban context that demanded ingenuity and agility and put Palladio's love of symmetry to the test, while the latter more easily expanded into a sequence of buildings and courtyards, linked by classicizing colonnades. Probably the most impressive of the drawings are those dedicated to Palladio's ideal reconstructions of classical temples and the Roman baths. Even when later archaeological evidence proved his interpetations wrong, Palladio's imaginative re-creations of these outsize spaces with colossal columns still make compelling images.

Finally, it is legitimate to argue-as this exhibition does-that Palladio remains our contemporary. To take only one example, the Villa Rotonda, a secular villa surmounted by a religious dome, is an extraordinary marriage of the functional and the ideal that continues to fascinate architects and patrons. The Rotonda is presented here in model form, together with Palladio's reconstructions of classical temples in a similar vein and later buildings inspired by it, such as Lord Burlington's Chiswick and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Palladio's ability to create buildings that look at once ages old and yet up-to-date remains the essential ingredient in his appeal. Perhaps Goethe put it best when he wrote that Palladio is like "a great poet who, out of the worlds of fact and fiction, creates a third world, whose borrowed existence enchants us."

[Sidebar]

Andrea Palladio, Palaao Valmarana, ca. 1565, Vicenza, Italy.

[Sidebar]

Palladio's ability to create buildings that look at once ages old and yet up-to-date remains the essential ingredient in his appeal.

"Palladio 500 anni" runs at Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, Vicenza, Italy, from September 20, 2008, through January 6, 2009. It will be shown at the Royal Academy, London, from January 31 to April 13, 2009.

[Author Affiliation]

BRUCE BOUCHER IS CURATOR OF EUROPEAN SCULPTURE AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO AND THE AUTHOR OF ANDREA PALLADIO: THE ARCHITECT IN HIS TIME (ABBEVILLE, 1998).

'Virgin' scores; 'Smart' move next for Carell

Steve Carell is no longer a box office virgin. "The 40-Year-OldVirgin" held his own against some mainstream studio offerings thisweekend.

And now Carell has been tapped to play Maxwell Smart in a big-screen version of "Get Smart."

Producer Charles Roven tells this column, "It's just perfectcasting for Maxwell Smart. Steve has that wonderful ability to be sonaturally likable. He plays an innocent incredibly well and he'sbelievable. He's not an imbecile. He's genuine."

He says Carell already has agreed to a few spy specifics. "Heknows he can't play it like Don Adams," Roven says. "He really has tomake it his own."

And what about the idea that most movies based on TV shows usuallystink? Roven opines, "Well, 'Starsky and Hutch' did great at the boxoffice. The movie worked. With this summer's 'Bewitched,' they hadwonderful actors, but the movie didn't work as well. The entire moviehas to work. That's what we're shooting for with 'Get Smart.' "

'RED' FLAG: There was little turbulence for the airplane thriller"Red Eye," which easily took the No. 2 spot, although it wasprojected to come in No. 1.

Not to spoil the film -- about a woman on a red eye with a killer -- but something doesn't compute. Rachel McAdams' character flies fromTexas to Miami, which isn't exactly an overnighter type of flight --a few hours maybe. Screenwriter Carl Ellsworth admits, "I think theDallas to Miami flight is about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We playedwith time a little bit."

'EYE' ON THE NEW GUY: "Red Eye's" resident creepo is played by big-eyed actor Cillian Murphy, of "28 Days Later" fame. What's in hisname? "Well, like most Irish names, no one can pronounce it. Itactually comes from saints," Murphy tells this column. "You say itwith a hard C."

Murphy is becoming a name in Hollywood with a turn this summer inthe acclaimed "Batman Begins" as the Scarecrow. Would he be up for asequel? "I would love to do another Batman," he says. "The filmmakershave an option to have me return, and I'd gladly do so. Scarecrow isa mysterious figure, and I think we could do a lot more with him."

Murphy says he doesn't mind playing baddies. "I've done 12 moviesnow but have only played bad guys twice. I'm not worried abouttypecasting," he insists. "I think audiences are a lot moreintelligent then we give them credit for."

But he embraced his inner nutcase to terrorize poor Rachel McAdamsin "Red Eye." It was a coveted role -- to the point that big nameslike Tom Cruise and Jude Law were mentioned early on as contendersfor it. During casting, Murphy was in London about to get married,but flew to L.A. for a quick meeting with director Wes Craven. "Iflew over to meet Wes, and it was like a 40-minute lunch, and then Igot on a plane and went home because I had to be at the registryoffice to sign a book. Then the wedding happened last August.'' Hegot hitched to video artist Yvonne McGuinness.

AND FINALLY: "Survivor" hunk Colby Donaldson has a small role as asecurity guard in "Red Eye." We asked: What's more vicious, Hollywoodor "Survivor"? "Oh, 'Survivor' prepared me for Hollywood," Donaldsonsays. "In fact, the acting business is just like 'Survivor.' There'sduplicity in both games."

Big Picture News Inc.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at North Americantheaters:

1. The 40-Year-Old Virgin $20.6 mill.

2. Red Eye $16.5 mill.

3. Four Brothers $13 mill.

4. Wedding Crashers $8.3 mill.

5. The Skeleton Key $7.4 mill.

6. March of the Penguins $6.7 mill.

7. Valiant $6.1 mill.

8. Dukes of Hazzard $5.7 mill.

9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory $4.5 mill.

10. Sky High $4 mill.

New Katrina video shows Louisiana governor assuring levees safe

WASHINGTON - In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans' protective levees were intact, according to a new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials.

"We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video that was obtained Thursday night. "We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee. I think we have not breached the levee at this time."

In fact, the National Weather Service received a report of a levee breach and issued a flash-flood warning as early as 9:12 a.m. that day, according to the White House's formal recounting of events the day Katrina struck.

The timing of the levees breach has been a key issue in exhaustive reviews of failures to respond to Katrina and highlights miscommunication about the scope of the storm's damage at all levels of government.

The new video, which runs 45 minutes, details uncertainty and despair among state and local emergency response officials as they began chronicling the disaster that swept across 90 square miles in the Gulf Coast.

Blanco is not shown in the video but is heard as a disembodied voice speaking from an emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., to 11 people sitting around a table at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington. She sounds uncertain about the reliability of her information and cautioned that the situation "could change."

She reported that floodwaters were rising in parts of the city "where we have waters that are 8 to 10 feet deep, and we have people swimming in there."

"That's got a considerable amount of water itself," the governor said. "That's about all I know right now on the specifics that you haven't heard."

Blanco spokeswoman Denise Bottcher said Thursday that "our people on the ground were telling us that there could be over-topping and breaching, but it was hard to tell" by the noon briefing.

Another official who was heard but not seen on the video was then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, who was also at the federal emergency operations center in Baton Rouge. He implored officials to "push the envelope as far as you can," noting that he had already spoken to President Bush twice that day and described the president as "very, very interested in this situation."

"He's very engaged, and he's asking a lot of really good questions I would expect him to ask," Brown said of Bush. "I say that only because I want everyone to recognize ... how serious the situation remains."

Brown has criticized the White House for miscommunication that led to some delays but said in an interview Thursday that he never directly blamed Bush.

"I think the president was confident in the ability of FEMA to respond to this, and what I should have done was go to them earlier and say, 'Let's not wait to see how it unfolds. Let's bring everything and go overboard.'"

He also said there was confusion among officials over whether levees were breached at the time of the noon video conference call. But he said he was convinced of the breach by 1 p.m.

Delays in confirming the levee breaches held up repair efforts and allowed flooding to worsen. The White House was alerted about breach reports by 6 p.m., but the administration confirmed the damage the next morning.

The video shows weather forecasters predicting the storm's path and also briefly cuts to White House deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin asking Blanco about the status of the levees and the situation at the Superdome in New Orleans.

By that time, an estimated 15,000 evacuees had gathered at the stadium, where food and water was beginning to run out, said Col. Jeff Smith, Louisiana's emergency preparedness deputy director. Smith also reported up to 10 feet of flooding in neighboring St. Bernard Parish and that there were 45 patients on life-support at one area hospital that lost its power.

Still, "the coordination and support we are getting from FEMA has just been outstanding," Smith said.

Mississippi officials were less complimentary, reporting significant damage to hospitals, flooded and collapsed emergency operations centers and people trapped on the roofs or in the attacks who were begging for help.

"It certainly looks like it is a catastrophic event that we all expected," said one Mississippi official, who was not identified. "I could tell you that the preliminary reports coming off of our Gulf Coast are not good, not good at all.

The Homeland Security Department played down the new video. Spokesman Russ Knocke said it "reveals nothing new because the transcript had previously been released."

The new video came to light a day after the AP obtained footage of an Aug. 28 briefing - the day before Katrina hit - that showed officials warning the storm might breach levees, put lives at risk in the Superdome and overwhelm rescuers. Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff were among those on the videotaped call.

Lawmakers from both parties said the pre-Katrina briefing for Bush and top administration officials raised new questions about government response to the storm that flooded New Orleans and killed more than 1,300 people.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said the Aug. 28 video "makes it perfectly clear once again that this disaster was not out of the blue or unforeseeable. It was not only predictable, it was actually predicted. That's what made the failures in response - at the local, state and federal level - all the more outrageous.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said it "confirms what we have suspected all along," charging that Bush administration officials have "systematically misled the American people."

Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California renewed their calls for an independent commission to investigate the federal response to the hurricane.

The House and Senate have conducted separate investigations of the federal response, and the White House did its own investigation. House Democrats for the most part refused to participate in the House probe, insisting since last fall that an independent commission should be created to handle the probe.

The White House did not immediately respond Thursday to the renewed Democratic calls for an independent investigation. AP

Whole Grains, Dietary Fibre and Health

REGISTERED DIETITIANS

Dr. Slavin is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. She has conducted many human feeding studies on dietary fibre, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, soy and flax. Besides her pursuit of the "scoop on poop", she teaches Life Cycle Nutrition and Human Nutrition. She has published more than ioo referreed scientific articles and speaks widely on choosing your carbohydrate sources wisely.

FIBRE: AN INTEGRAL PART OF WHOLE GRAINS

Whole-grain foods can be valuable sources of nutrients that are in short supply in the North American diet, including dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals.1 The most commonly consumed grains are listed in Table 1, and include wheat, oats, rice, corn, and rye, with wheat constituting 66-75% of the total.2

Buckwheat, wild rice, and amaranth are not botanically true grains, but are typically associated with the grain family due to their similar composition. The typical architecture of a whole grain is shown in Figure 1.

All grains have a bark-like, protective hull beneath which are the endosperm, germ, and bran. The endosperm represents 80% of the grain and is mostly composed of starch and protein, and contains comparatively few vitamins. The germ is a relatively minor contributor to the dry weight of most grains (typically 4-5% in wheat and barley) and is rich in unsaturated fats, protein, micronutrients and phytochemicals. The bran content varies depending on the grain but it provides all of the fibre and a large concentration of phytochemicals. The fibre content of whole grains can vary greatly, with whole wheat being concentrated in fibre and brown rice containing very little (Table 2).

Generally, grains are ground into flour and processed into grain-based foods. Most of the dietary fibre is lost in the milling process, with significant losses in calcium, magnesium, and potassium also particularly evident. White flour is enriched in thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and folic acid; some whole grain products are also enriched with folic acid. Processing of whole grains does not remove biologically important compounds.3 Analysis of processed whole grain breads and cereals indicate that they are a rich source of antioxidants.4 Processing may open up the food matrix, thereby allowing the release of tightly bound phytochemicals from the grain structure.5

While the most common source of dietary fibre in the North American diet is whole grain, consumption is still not enough to meet recommended fibre intakes. However, many processed foods can be enriched in dietary fibre through the addition of the bran portion of whole grain. This practice allows foods to achieve dietary fibre levels that are otherwise unattainable through the use of whole grains alone.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WHOLE GRAINS & FIBRE

In reporting the health benefits of whole grain, epidemiologists have traditionally defined whole grain as cereals containing 25% or more whole grain or bran content by weight.6,7 As such, evaluation of the health benefits of whole grains has inherently included the benefits of fibre-rich bran. It is therefore important that dietary guidance reflect the need for whole grain foods to contain dietary fibre, to ensure that consumers derive the full range of benefits attributed to whole grains. It is important to keep this in mind as one reviews the health effects that follow.

Whole Grains, Fibre and Cardiovascular Disease

There is strong epidemiological and clinical evidence linking consumption of whole grains to a reduced risk for coronary heart disease (CHD).8 It is likely that the combination of compounds in grains, rather than any one component, explains its protective effects. Whole grain feeding studies have looked at biomarkers relevant to cardiovascular disease. Katz et al.9 measured the effect of oat and wheat cereals on endothelial responses in human subjects. Month-long, daily supplementation with either whole-grain oat or wheat cereal prevented postprandial impairment of vascular reactivity in response to a high-fat meal. Food consumption patterns that include whole grains also are protective for cardiovascular disease. Intake of refined diets without whole grains was associated with higher serum cholesterol levels and lower intakes of micronutrients.10 A prudent dietary pattern, including intake of whole grains, was associated with lower C-reactive protein levels and endothelial dysfunction, an early step in the development of atherosclerosis." Whole grain food intake was also associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein in the Nurses Health Study.12

Since whole grains are the predominant dietary fibre source in most countries, it is difficult to separate out the protection of dietary fibre from whole grains. Jensen et al.13 examined intakes of whole grains, bran, and germ and risk of coronary heart disease from food frequency data in the Health Professionals Follow-up study. Added germ was not associated with CHD risk and the authors conclude that the study supports the reported beneficial association of whole-grain intake with CHD and suggests that the fibre-rich bran component of whole grain could be a key factor in this relation.

Whole Grains, Fibre and Blood Glucose

Epidemiologic studies consistently show that risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus is decreased with consumption of whole grains.14 Intake of fibre from whole-grain cereals has also been found to be inversely related to type 2 diabetes. In a long-term study of almost 90,000 women, researchers found that those with higher intakes of cereal fibre had about a 30% lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those with the lowest intakes15. There are several reports linking whole grain and dietary fibre intakes to a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.16,17

Whole Grains, Fibre and Cancer

There is substantial scientific evidence that whole grains reduce risk of cancer. In a meta-analysis of whole grain intake and cancer, whole grains were protective in 46 of 51 mentions of whole-grain intake.18 Potential mechanisms linking whole grains to reduced cancer risk include large bowel effects, antioxidant content, alterations in blood glucose levels via mediation in the blood glucose response, weight loss via satiety mechanisms, and hormonal effects. Hormonally active compounds in grains called lignans, which are found in the fibrerich bran layer, may protect against diseases. Lignans are converted to enterolactone, a mammalian lignan, in the gut. Serum enterolactone concentrations increased with consumption of whole-grain products.19 Variability in serum enterolactone concentration was great, suggesting the role of gut microflora in the metabolism of lignans may be important.

Few studies have looked at the direct effects of feeding defined whole grain diets to humans. Mclntosh et al.20 fed rye and wheat foods to overweight middle-aged men and measured markers of bowel health. The men were fed low-fibre cereal grain foods providing 5 grams of dietary fibre for the refined grain diet and 18 grams of dietary fibre for the whole grain diet, either high in rye or wheat. This was in addition to a baseline diet that contained 14 grams of dietary fibre. Both the highfibre rye and wheat foods increased fecal output by 33-36% and reduced fecal β-glucuronidase activity by 29%. Postprandial plasma insulin was decreased by 46-49% and postprandial plasma glucose by 16-19%. RYe foods were associated with significantly increased plasma enterolactone and fecal butyrate, relative to wheat and low-fibre diets. The authors conclude that rye appears more effective than wheat in overall improvement of biomarkers of bowel health.

Although few studies have specifically sought to determine which components of whole grain play a role in bowel health, two large epidemiologic studies21,22 suggest that fibre plays a particularly important role in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Bingham et al.2 showed that colorectal cancer incidence in a sample of 519,978 European subjects could be reduced by up to 40% by doubling fibre intakes from the average baseline intake of ~12 g/day. Similarly, Peters et al.22 showed a 27% reduction in the incidence of colorectal adenoma with a doubling of dietary fibre intakes from a baseline of ~12 g/day. Both studies suggest the importance of dietary fibre from grain, cereal and fruit and vegetable sources.

Whole Grains, Fibre and Body Weight Regulation

Whole grain intake is positively associated with the regulation of body weight. Several factors may explain the influence of whole grains on body weight regulation. The high volume and low energy density of whole grain foods may promote satiation (regulation of energy intake per eating occasion through effects of hormones influenced by chewing and swallowing mechanics). Additionally, whole grains may enhance satiety (delayed return of hunger following a meal) for up to several hours following a meal. Grains rich in viscous soluble fibres (e.g., oats, barley and psyllium) tend to increase intraluminal viscosity, prolong gastric emptying time, and slow nutrient absorption in the small intestine.

Weight gain among men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study was followed over 8 years and compared to changes in whole-grain, bran, and cereal fibre intake.23 The increased consumption of whole grains was inversely related to weight gain, and the associations persisted after changes in added bran or fibre intakes were accounted for. This suggests that there are components in whole grains beyond dietary fibre which may contribute to favorable metabolic changes that reduce long-term weight gain. Nonetheless, the important role of dietary fibre cannot be underscored.

COMPONENTS IN WHOLE GRAINS THAT DELIVER HEALTH BENEFITS

The "fibre hypothesis", published in the early 19705, suggested that whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, provide fibre along with other constituents that have health benefits. The bran and germ fractions derived from conventional milling provide the majority of the biologically active compounds found in a grain. Specific nutrients include high concentrations of B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron), elevated levels of basic amino acids (e.g., arginine and lysine), and elevated tocol levels in the lipids. Numerous phytochemicals, some common in many plant foods (phytates and phenolic compounds) and some unique to grain products (avenanthramides, avenalumic acid), are responsible for the high antioxidant activity of whole grain foods.4

Dietary fibre is essentially the polysaccharide leftovers of digestion. The physiological effect of fibre in intact foods is often greater than that found with isolated fibre fractions. In epidemiologic studies, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are often more protective against diseases than fibre supplements. Thus, fibre intake may be a marker of a healthy diet, rather than just a nutrient that can be isolated and added back to the diet.

In 2002, the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for the first time included fibre as a nutrient.24 Dietary fibre was defined as nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin from plants. Foods high in dietary fibre may include whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. Another class of fibre, functional fibre, was also defined in 2002.24

Functional fibre is found in bulk laxatives, fortified foods, beverages, and dietary supplements. However, Health Canada does not currently recognize this catgory of fibre; therefore; functional fibres do not contribute to the total dietary fibre declared in the Canadian Nutrition Facts panel.

Previously, dietary fibre was divided into soluble and insoluble fibre in an attempt to assign physiological effects to chemical types of fibre. Oat bran and psyllium, two mostly soluble fibres, have health claims for their ability to lower serum lipids. Wheat bran and other more insoluble fibres are linked to laxation. Yet, scientific support that soluble fibres lower blood cholesterol, while insoluble fibres increase stool size, is inconsistent at best. Resistant starch and inulin, both considered soluble fibres do not lower blood cholesterol. Thus, not all soluble fibres lower blood cholesterol, and other traits such as viscosity of fibre play roles. Constipation is more likely on low fibre intakes and risk of colon cancer is inversely related to stool weight. The association of insoluble fibre with laxation also is variable. (Table 3)25

Many fibre sources are mostly soluble but still enlarge stool weight, such as oat bran and psyllium. Furthermore, besides food intake, other factors can also affect stool size.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTAKE OF WHOLE GRAINS AND FIBRE

Increased whole grain consumption is widely promoted. Grain products are featured in mypyramid.com from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are a significant part of "Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating". Whereas the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans place particular emphasis on eating more whole grain foods (Table 1)2, Health Canada's draft nutrition recommendations on carbohydrates26 emphasize the importance of fibre-containing whole grain products, legumes, fruit, and vegetables. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that at least 3 servings, or one-half of grain foods consumed daily, be whole grain with the remainder either enriched or whole grain. Health Canada's draft nutrition recommendations on carbohydrates emphasizes the need to increase dietary fibre intake at a level of 14 grams per 1000 kcal per day, a level also recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

Despite these recommendations, both whole grain and fibre consumption remain low. According to a survey of Americans 20 years and older, total grain intake was 6.7 servings per day with only i.o of these servings being whole grain.27 Only eight percent of the study participants consumed 3 servings of whole grains on a daily basis. Furthermore, average fibre intakes in the United States are only about 14 g/day, falling woefully short of the 14 grams per 1000 kcal recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In Canada, average fibre intakes are in the range of 10-21 grams per day28, also short of the 14 grams per 1000 kcal recommendation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

It is clear that dietary fibre is a key component in whole grain that delivers health benefits. As such, dietary guidance should encourage consumption of whole grain foods. Additionally, dietary guidance must stress the importance of dietary fibre and acknowledge that whole grains are important fibre sources.

Eating both whole grain and high fibre foods can help promote good health. Whole grain foods are made with all three parts of the grain kernel - the fibre-rich outer bran layer, the middle endosperm and the inner germ. While some health benefits come from the parts of the whole grain working together, studies show that many benefits are attributed to the fibre.

DO WHOLE GRAIN AND FIBRE MEAN THE SAME THING?

Some people think this is the case. The truth is not all whole grain foods are high in fibre. The fibre content of whole grains can vary greatly. The easiest way to confirm that a food provides the benefits of whole grain and fibre is to check the Nutrition Facts table. When looking for whole grain products with a high source of fibre, choose foods that list a whole grain as the first ingredient and provide at least 4 grams of fibre per serving.

HEALTH CANADA RECOMMENDS WHOLE GRAINS AS A SOURCE OF FIBRE...

Health Canada recommends Canadians eat 5 to 12 servings of grain products each day, and identifies whole grains as a u " source of dietary fibre.1 Similarly, Health Canada's proposed recommendations on carbohydrates indicate whole grain products, among others, should be the primary sources of carbohydrates and fibre in the diet.2

EATING A HIGH FIBRE DIET CAN HELP...

* Promote regularity and maintain a healthy digestive system

* Lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease

* Reduce the risk of colon cancer and other types of cancer

* Control blood sugars in people with diabetes

* Assist with weight control

Fibre Claims

Fibre is considered a nutrient because it has been assigned a Daily Value. The Nutrition Facts table lists the grams fibre and % DV per serving.

Source of fibre - product with at least 2 g of fibre per serving and per reference amount High source of fibre - product with at least 4 g of fibre per serving and per reference amount Very high source of fibre - product with at least 6 g of fibre per serving and per reference amount

Whole Grain Claims

The Ingredient List will include the words "whole" or "whole grain" before the name of the grain, such as "whole wheat" or "whole grain oats." You can't tell the amount of whole grain that is present in a food; however, the best sources will list a whole grain as the first ingredient.

THE BOTTOM LINE

It is important that Canadians check the Nutrition Facts table for the grams of fibre per serving when choosing whole grain foods that will provide the greatest health benefits.

[Reference]

REFERENCES

1. Spiller GA. Whole grains, whole wheat, and white flours in history. In: Whole Grain Foods in Health and Disease, Marquart L, Slavin JL, Fulcher RG, Eds., Eagan Press, St. Paul, MN, pp 1-7, 2002.

2. www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report

3. Slavin JL, Jacobs D, Marquart L. Grain processing and nutrition. Crit Rev Biotechnology 2001;21: 49-66.

4. Miller G, Prakash A, Decker E. Whole-grain micronutiems. In: Whole Grain Foods in Health and Disease, Marquart L, Slavin JL, Fulcher RG, Eds, Eagan Press, St. Paul, MN, pp 243-260, 2002.

5. Fulcher RG, Rooney-Duke TK. Whole-grain structure and organization: implications for nutritionists and processors. In Whole-Grain Foods in Health and Disease, Marquart L, Slavin J, Fulcher RG, Eds, Eagan Press St. Paul, MN. pp 9-45, 2002.

6. Jacobs DR Jr, Meyer KA, Kushi LH, Foison AR. Whole-grain intake may reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease death in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women's Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;68:248-57

7. Liu S, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB, Giovannucci E, Rimm E, Manson JE, Hennekens CH, Willett WC. Whole-grain consumption and risk of coronary heart disease: results from the Nurses' Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:412-9

8. Anderson JW. Whole-grains intake and risk for coronary heart disease. In: Whole Grain Foods in Health and Disease, Marquart L Slavin JL, Fulcher RG, Eds, Eagan Press, St. Paul, MN, pp 187-200, 2002.

9. Katz DL, Nawaz H, Boukhalil J, Chan W, Ahmadi R, Giannamore V, Sarrel PM. Effects of oat and wheat cereals on endothelial responses. Preventive Medicine 2001;33, 476-484.

10. Van Dam RM, Grievink L, Ocke MC, Feskens EJM. Patterns of food consumption and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the general Dutch population. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:1156-1163.

11. Lopez-Garcia E, Schulze MB, Fung TT, Meigs JB, Rifai N, Monson JE, Hu FB. Major dietary patterns are related to plasma concentrations of markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1029-1035.

12. Wu T, Giovannucci E, Pischon T, Hankinson SH, Ma J, Rifai N, Rimm EB. Fructose, glycemic load, and quantity and quality of carbohydrate in relation to plasma C-peptide concentrations in US women. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1043-1049.

13. Jensen MK, Koh-Benerjee, Hu FB, Franz M, Sampson L, Cronbak M, Rimm EB. Intakes of whole grains, bran, and germ and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:1492-1499.

14. Murtaugh MA, Jacobs DR, Jacob B, Steffen LM, Marquart L. Epidemiological support for the protection of whole grains against diabetes. Proceed Nutr Soc 2003;62:143-149.

15. Salmeron J, Aserio A, Rimm EB, Colditz GA, Spiegelman D, Jenkins DJ, Stampfer MJ, Wing AL, Willett WC. Dietary fibre, glycemic load, and risk of NIDDM in men. Diabetes Care 1997;20:545-550.

16. Montonen J, Neckt P, Jarvinen R, Aromaa A, Aeunanen A. Whole-grain and fibre intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:622-629.

17. Liu S. Whole-grain foods, dietary fibre, and type 2 diabetes: searching for a kernel of truth. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:527-529.

18. Jacobs DR, Marquart L, Slavin JL, Kishi LH. Whole-grain intake and cancer: An expanded review and meta-analysis. Nutr Cancer 1998;30:85-96.

19. Kilkkinen A, Valsia LM, Virtamo J, Stumpf K, Adlercreutz H, Pietinen P. Intake of lignans is associated with serum enterolactone concentration in Finnish men and women. J Nutr 2003;133:1830-1833.

20. McIntosh GH, Noakes M, Royle PJ, Foster PR. Whole-grain rye and wheat foods and markers of bowel health in overweight middle-aged men. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:967-974.

21. Bingham SA, Day NE, Luben R, Ferrari P, Slimani N, Norat T, Clavel-Chapelon F, Kesses E, Nieters A, Boeing H, Tjonneland A, Overvad K, Martinez C, Dorronsoro M, Gonzalez CA, Key TJ, Trichopoulou A, Naska A, Vineis P, Tumino R, Krogh V, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, Peelers PHM, Berglund G, Hallmans G, Lund E, Skeie G, Kaaks R, Riboli E. Dietary fibre in food and protection against colorectal cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC): an observational study. Lancet 2003;361:1496-501

22. Peters U, Sinha R, Chatterjee N, Subar AF, Ziegler RG, Kulldorff M, Bresalier R, Weissfeld JL, Flood A, Schatzkin A, Hayes. Dietary fibre and colorectal adenoma in a colorectal cancer study detection programme. Lancet 2003;361:1491-5

23. Koh-Banerjee P, Franz M, Sampson L, Liu S, Jacobs DR, Spiegelman D, Willett W, Rimm E. Changes in whole-grain, bran, and cereal fibre consumption in relation to 8-y weight gain among men. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:1237-1245.

24. Dietary Reference Intakes: Energy, Carbohydrates. Fibre, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Arm'no Acids, institute of Medicine of the National Academies, The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, USA, 2002.

25. Cummings JH. The effect of dietary fibre on fecal weight and composition. In: CRC Handbook of Dietary Fibre in Human Nutrition, Ed. Spiller GA. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 263-333, 1993.

26. Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Nutrition Recommendations for Canadians: Draft Recommendations on Carbohydrates. Health Canada, 2004.

27. Harnack, L, Waltersm S, and Jacobs, J.R. Dietary intake and food sources of whole grains among US children and adolescents: Data from the 1994-1996 continuing survey of food intakes by individuals. J Am Diet Assoc 2003;10:1015-1019.

28. Mendelson R, Tarasuk V, Chappell J, Brown H, Anderson GH. Report of the Ontario Food Survey, June 2003.

[Author Affiliation]

JOANNE SLAVIN, PHD, RD

Obama says world leaders are in broad agreement on the way forward to economic recovery

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Obama says world leaders are in broad agreement on the way forward to economic recovery.

Quick Step: Boonen tests positive for cocaine

Tom Boonen's Quick Step team says the Belgian cyclist has tested positive for cocaine for a second time.

Quick Step spokesman Alessandro Tegner said his team was informed Saturday about the result of the test, reportedly taken 12 days after Boonen won the the Paris-Roubaix classic for the third time on April 12.

Quick Step will release a statement later Saturday.

Last year, Boonen tested positive for cocaine in an out-of-competition test and missed the Tour de France. A Belgian court dropped criminal charges in February against Boonen, who apologized to his fans but never confirmed or denied he had taken the drug.

Penalties for possession in Belgium can vary from three months to five years in jail, along with fines of up to $155,000.

More than 4,000 Danes may have salmonella

Danish health officials fear more than 4,000 people may be infected with salmonella and are checking everything from refrigerators to credit card receipts to find the source of what may be the worst outbreak in 15 years.

Kare Moelbak of the Ministry of Health said 330 cases have been confirmed and about a quarter of those people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

He said officials at the government's center for prevention and control of infectious diseases say the real number probably exceeds 4,000 people.

Moelbak said he suspects the source is some sort of Danish food product distributed only in Denmark, since neighboring countries have not reported an outbreak. They believe it probably is meat, but they do not know which product.

"Food control units are out to visit patients and see what they have in their refrigerators. We have even had access to electronic files to get an overview of what people have bought using their credit cards," he said.

A serious salmonella outbreak in the United States has hit more than 800 people, and health authorities there continue to search for the source of contamination.

Moelbak said a few cases were reported in Denmark as early as February, but that the number has risen alarmingly over the past six weeks. There are no signs of it slowing down; about 30 new cases are confirmed per day.

"We fear it will continue at this pace," said Moelbak. He said it was difficult to predict the course of such outbreaks, but that there was no indication it would stop soon.

Salmonella is seldom fatal among healthy adults, but can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever and headaches.

The outbreak was of Salmonella typhimurium U292, a fairly rare type of the roughly 2,500 kinds of salmonella.

___

On the Net:

http://www.ssi.dk

Crude prices surge ahead of OPEC meeting

Oil and gasoline prices continued their push higher Wednesday on signs that the longest U.S. recession since World War II may be easing and that demand for energy could rebound.

Benchmark crude for July delivery rose $1.24 to $63.69 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Gasoline prices, which are up 19 percent in the past month, rose 0.9 cents overnight to $2.434 a gallon (64 cents a liter), according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Prices are now 10 cents a gallon higher than a week ago and 38.4 cents higher than a month ago.

About 74 percent of the forecasters in a survey by the National Association for Business Economics expect the recession, which started in December 2007, to end in the third quarter. Another 19 percent predict the turning point will come in the final three months of this year, and the remaining 7 percent believe the recession will end in the first quarter of 2010.

Oil prices have jumped from below $35 a barrel in March on investor expectations that the worst of the global economic slowdown is over.

Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates said the big move up in oil and gas prices, helped by anticipation for strong demand for fuel in the next several months, may be coming to an end for now and that gasoline prices could be back down to nearly $2 a gallon by the end of summer.

"Demand is going to remain weak,and we've got plenty of excess refining capacity to crank up production," he said.

OPEC members gathered in Vienna for a meeting on Thursday. Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi has said the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is unlikely to add to 4.2 million barrels a day of production cuts the cartel has announced since September.

"There is no need to cut production," Naimi said Wednesday, adding that the group should "stay the course." He said that oil prices would likely reach around $75 a barrel by the end of the year on the back of growing demand in Asia.

In other Nymex trading, gasoline for June delivery rose 3.63 cents to $1.8887 a gallon and heating oil rose 2.1 cents to $1.5671 a gallon. Natural gas for July delivery fell less than a penny to $3.635 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent prices rose $1.19 to $62.43 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

___

Associated Press writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, Alex Kennedy in Singapore and George Jahn in Vienna contributed to this report.

Ryder Cup rookie Hanson withdraws from Vivendi Cup

CHAMBOURCY, France (AP) — Ryder Cup rookie Peter Hanson of Sweden has withdrawn from the French Vivendi Cup due to illness just over a week before he is due to tee off for the European team.

The 32-year-old advised officials Thursday he is struggling with a head cold, chest infection and fever.

Hanson will return home from France, but hopes to recover before heading to the Celtic Manor course in Wales on Monday for the Oct. 1-3 Ryder Cup.

His place in the €1.25 million ($1.67 million) Vivendi Cup has been taken by Frenchman Damien Perrier.

Massive meat recall // 25 million pounds possibly contaminated

WASHINGTON Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman on Thursdayannounced the largest food recall in U.S. history, as Hudson Foodscalled back 25 million pounds of possibly contaminated meat productsthat had come from a plant in Nebraska.

Glickman said the plant will be closed until Hudson assuresfederal inspectors that it complies with testing and record-keepingprocedures designed to keep meat from the markets. Ground beef fromthe plant, which is distributed nationwide, has been linked to anoutbreak of E-coli bacteria contamination that sickened more than adozen people in Colorado.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said theHudson hamburger patties may have been distributed to all 48contiguous states. The plant's major customers include Safeway,Wal-Mart, Burger King, Sam's Club and Boston Market, officials said.Those companies have removed all Hudson products from their supplies.The 25 million pounds of meat would feed the entire Chicagopopulation - nearly 2.8 million people - a quarter-pound burger a dayfor more than five weeks. But it is only a small fraction of the 8billion pounds of ground beef of all types produced in the countryeach year. And the Columbus, Neb., plant accounts for less than 7percent of Hudson Food's sales, the company said.The plant will not open until the company has adopted "far morestringent safety standards that we have specifically laid out forthem based on what we have found in our investigation," Glickmansaid. The announcement means the recall is growing about 20-foldfrom last Friday. Hudson Foods said in a statement that it hadordered the recall "out of an abundance of caution and to restore thepublic confidence."Glickman said fewer than 20 people are known to have gotten sickfrom the tainted meat."We continue to monitor the situation very closely, but all theevidence at this point indicates that we have contained theoutbreak," he said.Recalls were announced last week, first with 20,000 pounds ofmeat, then another 20,000, and last Friday it became 1.2 millionpounds.The initial Hudson recall began after health officials inColorado traced the illnesses of more than a dozen people tohamburger patties they ate in early June.The Agriculture Department has evidence that the contaminationoccurred not in the plant, but at one or more of the slaughterhousesthat supply it, said Tom Billy, administrator of the USDA's FoodSafety and Inspection Service.That has made it difficult to know when the last of the taintedmeat left the plant, officials said.E. coli is a potentially deadly bacteria that often gets intofood through contact with fecal matter. It causes severe diarrhea,cramps and dehydration.People can call the USDA hotline for information at (800)535-4555, or Hudson's hotline at (800) 447-2670.

Zimbabwe chief exec. fired in match-fixing claims

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's football association fired its chief executive Tuesday amid an investigation into alleged match-fixing that implicates a string of the country's top players, coaches and administrators and strikes another blow to football's already-tarnished image.

Current Zimbabwe international players admitted in sworn statements that they intentionally lost games in 2008 and 2009 on the instructions of members of betting syndicates. In some cases the syndicate representatives were present at matches, and even gave instructions in the Zimbabwe team's dressing room at halftime, to ensure results were fixed, the players said.

Zimbabwe Football Association chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya was fired for poor administration but Ralph Maganga, a lawyer for ZIFA, said match-fixing charges against her relating to the national team's Asian tour late last year had been withdrawn pending further investigation.

In the statements to a board of inquiry, Zimbabwe players and officials said they were paid between $500 and $1,500 to throw matches on the tour to Thailand and Malaysia in December 2009. Players were also allegedly asked to fix games in 2008 when Zimbabwe lost 3-2 to Oman and 5-2 to Bahrain.

The players and officials face lifetime bans, threatening the future of professional football in the troubled nation.

The statements, made available Tuesday, said a group pretending to be the national team of Zimbabwe was not the official national side on last year's tour, although it included key international players. The team lost 2-0 to Jordan, 3-0 to Thailand and 6-0 to Syria.

Then-Zimbabwe captain Method Mwanjali and top international players Daniel Verehmu, Benjamin Marere, Thomas Svosve and coaching team member Joey Antipas all made statements admitting taking money on the tour.

"We lost against Syria 6-0 as per instructions," Mwanjali said in his statement. "We were deliberately not attacking (on instructions from the bench). We could have walloped Syria and even our opponents ended up commenting that we were playing to lose.

"The syndicate representatives were visibly happy and we were paid $1,000 at Kuala Lumpur airport," said Mwanjali, a defender for South African Premier Soccer League team Mamelodi Sundowns.

ZIFA said Norman Mapeza, who is the current Zimbabwe coach, and about 20 other national and club players and football administrators were also under investigation.

FIFA told The Associated Press later Tuesday that it had requested Zimbabwe's football association provide it with the conclusions of the internal investigation once it had been completed.

"In addition, the Zimbabwe FA has been asked to inform FIFA of the details of any proceedings taken as a result of this investigation," FIFA said in an e-mailed statement.

Under FIFA rules, the accused face fines and lifelong bans from any football activity, including entering any football stadium, in serious cases of match-fixing. That would be expected to lead to the collapse of the professional game in the economically troubled southern African country.

In the Thailand match last year, the Zimbabwe players were offered $3,000 each if they conceded the first goal in the 20th minute. It was scored in the 44th minute.

A representative of the betting syndicate he knew only as "Raja" ''was visibly angry and came to the dressing room at halftime and blew his top and announced that if the game ended 1-0 we would only get $500," Mwanjali said.

Svosve told the board of inquiry that in Bahrain in 2008 "a Chinese guy came to the hotel and told us to lose 3-0. We were promised $1,500 per player and we lost 5-2 and we were paid our money.

"There was a 'ball man' behind our goal giving out instructions to concede goals," Svosve said. "The Chinese guy was alone ... our coaches were conspicuous by their absence. I don't know how they were paid or if they were paid, but I believe they were."

Svosve testified that the same Chinese man was seen during the rigged Malaysian tour and at a friendly match Zimbabwe played against Japan in South Africa in June ahead of the World Cup.

2 Spanish officers killed in blast on Mallorca

An explosion near a police station on the Spanish island of Mallorca killed two officers Thursday _ a day after a car-bomb attack blamed on Basque separatists left scores injured in northern Spain.

A Civil Guard spokesman in Madrid said it was still too early to say what caused Thursday's blast in the Palmanova beach resort area, southwest of the resort island's capital of Palma de Mallorca.

Two officers were killed, the spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with police department regulations. He gave no further details.

Europa Press private news agency and other media outlets said the blast was caused by a bomb and that there were also several people injured.

A car bomb attack on Wednesday left some 60 people injured at a police barracks in the northern city of Burgos. That attack has been blamed on the armed Basque separatist group ETA, along with seven other attacks this year.

ETA has killed more than 825 people since it launched a campaign in 1968 for an independent homeland in Basque region of northern Spain.

Wedding bells ring for gay couples in California

Serenaded by a gay men's chorus, showered with rose petals and toasted with champagne, hundreds of tearful same-sex couples got married across the state Tuesday in what some are calling California's new Summer of Love.

Wearing everything from T-shirts to tuxedos and lavish gowns, they rushed down to county clerks' offices to obtain marriage licenses and exchange vows on the first full day that gay marriage became legal in California by order of the state's highest court. They were joined by jubilant crowds that came to witness the event.

George Takei, who played Sulu on the original "Star Trek," beamed as he and his partner of 21 years, Brad Altman, obtained one of the new gender-neutral marriage licenses _ with the words "Party A" and "Party B" instead of "bride" and "groom" _ at the West Hollywood City Hall. They are planning a September wedding.

"I see before me people who personify love and commitment," a grinning Takei told the crowd. He flashed the Vulcan hand salute from "Star Trek" and, in a twist on the Vulcan greeting from the TV series, said: "May equality live long and prosper."

The burst of gay weddings actually began on Monday evening, when a few counties extended their office hours past 5 p.m., the moment the May 15 California Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage took effect. On Tuesday morning, though, all 58 counties began issuing licenses, and the rush was on.

There were scattered demonstrations outside some offices and courthouses. About a dozen protesters stood across the street from the Sacramento County recorder's office, carrying signs that read, "Marriage 1 man + 1 woman" and "Resist Judicial Tyranny."

"It's something to just pray about. It's not a time to be joyful," 16-year-old demonstrator Juliya Lyubezhanina said as she watched dozens of balloon- and rainbow flag-carrying couples.

Courts in Sacramento and San Francisco on Tuesday rejected separate last-minute bids by groups seeking to halt same-sex marriage.

Still, around the state, protesters were outnumbered by well-wishers. One conservative activist said that the effort to pass a constitutional amendment in the fall that would outlaw gay marriage again in California could fail if the opponents came on too strong.

"The major media would love to see us engage in fierce protests and hostile demonstrations of outrage against the licensing of same-sex 'marriages,'" said Ronald Prentice, chairman of the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. "Our battle is not against the same-sex couples who are pursuing the opportunity to `marry' granted them by the activist judges on the California Supreme Court."

Some couples came from out of state. Unlike Massachusetts, the only other state to legalize gay marriage, California has no residency requirement for a marriage license. Many gay activists are likening the moment to the 1967 Summer of Love, when young people from across the country converged on California in what came to be regarded as the birth of the counterculture.

In a shady plaza in Bakersfield, where the county clerk stopped officiating at marriages altogether rather than preside over same-sex ceremonies, newlyweds wearing Cinderella-style gowns and matching tuxedos were showered with rose petals while a photographer who set up on a park bench offered to snap wedding portraits.

Although some couples said they preferred to wait until after the election because they feared their marriages would nullified at the ballot box, others said they wanted to make history, especially if the opportunity to get married could be lost.

"There's a window, and we want to take advantage of that window, because who knows what's going to happen in November," said Jay Mendes, 40, as he and his partner of three years, Vantha Sao, 22, waited to obtain a marriage license in West Hollywood.

A recent Field Poll showed that Californians favor granting gays the right to marry 51 percent to 42 percent. It was the first time in 30 years of California polling that the scales tipped in that direction.

In Orange County, newlyweds Alfonso Guerrero, 48, and Manuel Chavez, 43, posed for a picture while deliberately standing in front of a protester wearing a "Jesus or Hell" cap and holding a large "Homo Sex is Sin" sign.

"It's another moment that we would conserve for history," Guerrero said. "They have the right to protest, but we have the right to marry. God loves everybody."

In a sign of the growing political support for same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles City Council president, the mayor of Sacramento and at least two state lawmakers agreed to officiate at the weddings of staff members and friends.

San Diego County, typically a Republican stronghold, added four walk-up windows and assigned 78 employees to issue marriage licenses Tuesday, up from the usual 19. It issued 230 licenses, breaking its previous single-day record of 176 on Valentine's Day 2005.

"We are glad that the day went smoothly and that our staff could provide all couples with dignity and respect on this historical day," County Clerk Greg Smith said.

The moment he heard the ruling last month, Mike Bray, 44, a computer network engineer from Oceanside, proposed over the telephone to his partner of five years, Tom Siemar, a 42-year-old interior designer. The couple wed Tuesday.

"We didn't think it would happen in our lifetimes," Bray said.

In West Hollywood, an auditorium was turned into a licensing center in the park. Six white cabanas with chandeliers and silk flowers were set up for weddings.

On the steps of San Francisco City Hall, a gay men's chorus sang while supporters handed out cupcakes. Inside, Helen Zia, 55, and Lia Shigemura, 50, of Oakland, sang "The Chapel of Love," their voices echoing through the marble halls. They wore orchid leis from Shigemura's home state of Hawaii.

"This is the most meaningful day of my life. I've always wanted to get married," Shigemura said. "I just never thought it'd be possible."

___

Associated Press writers Elliott Spagat in San Diego, Gillian Flaccus in Santa Ana, Laura E. Davis in West Hollywood, Garance Burke in Bakersfield, Malia Wollan in Martinez, Don Thompson in Sacramento, Juliana Barbassa and Evelyn Nieves in San Francisco contributed to this story.

Colorful Textile & Apparel Firms Operating Actively In Indonesia

Vonex Indonesia

Vonex Indonesia, an acrylic yarn spinner established in 1974, has 50,592 spindles of worsted spinning and 24,160 spindles of modified cotton spinning. The annual production capacity is 12,000 tons of worsted spinning and 3,900 tons of modified cotton spinning.

Its yarn dyeing capacity (hank) is 2,500 tons and its yarn dyeing capacity (cheese), which was newly established in 2001, is 1,000 tons. Vonex handles high bulky type or regular type acrylic yarn. In addition to pure acrylic yarn, Vonex produces acrylic/wool-blended yarn. The number of employees is 1,600. The capital for the company is US$23.66 million. Participating parties in equity capital are Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation and Sojitz Corporation (formerly Nichimen Corporation).

In Indonesia, an uptrend in labor cost has become visible since 2001 with a progress in decentralization of authority. Electric power rates and oil prices also continued to rise. The situation has become tense because of the multiple, simultaneous terrorist attacks in the U.S. in 2001 and bomb terrorism on Bali Island in 2002, in addition to a strong rupiah. Consequently, textile & apparel orders from Europe and the U.S. to Indonesia declined. Against a backdrop of these situations, business results of Vonex deteriorated.

After business results worsened in 2002, there began a rising trend toward improvement in Vonex's business performances. With the implementation of the employee early retirement system in October 2003, Vonex has trimmed the number of employees from the conventional 1,850 to the present 1,600. In the acrylic fiber spinning, weaving, dyeing & finishing industry, the gap between the off-season and the busy season is substantial. Operation is busy March through August; however, action programs to deal with the off-season are critical for other periods. The overlapping of a recession in the off-season makes business management even more difficult.

As a member of the Mitsubishi Rayon Group holding the No.l position in acrylic fiber within Asia, Vonex is oriented toward marketing by taking the leadership within the industry. With both acrylic fibers, dry-spun "Finel" and wet-spun "Vonnel", Vonex is going to effectively utilize these advantages of sophistication.

It is a considerable advantage for Vonex that the parent company has various kinds of sophisticated staple. Out of the yarn produced by Vonex, 65% are sophisticated items even at the present stage; however, Vonex is going to further increase this share.

Japan-oriented business accounts for 60% of overall business, including direct and indirect shipments to the Japanese market. Of the remaining 40%, 25% is sales to local Indonesian firms and 15% is yarn exports to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Bangladesh and elsewhere.

With a shift in priority from quantity to quality under way, Vonex plans to pursue selling items and their volume, which meet the market needs. Vonex has strengthened cost competitiveness as a factory by effectively using equipment and by reducing fixed costs. With both processes of spinning and dyeing, Vonex will place particular emphasis on a flexible production system which can remain responsive to an adequate balance of processing volume between both processes as well as market needs.

Kanematsu Textile Corporation Jakarta Representative Office

Kanematsu Textile Corporation Jakarta Representative Office completed the present system in 2002 after the start of structural reforms which the Kanematsu Group launched in 1999. This office is headquartered in Jakarta under the direct control of the President at the head office in Japan.

Sales for 2003 were US$40 million. The line of business is: products such as polyester/cotton blended shirts and polyester/rayon pants, 40%; woven fabrics made of polyester/cotton blended yarn, polyester/ray on blended yarn and CVC, 40%; and "yarn and staple" including polyester staple, polyester/rayon blended and polyester/cotton blended yarn, 20% There are no textile products for Kanematsu to import into Indonesia. For Kanematsu, Indonesia is a Place of production and a supplying country. In Indonesia, there are factories with Kanematsu's equity participation. These factories are CENTEX producing polyester/cotton woven fabrics, Nikawa Textile producing grey goods and Flex Indonesia manufacturing shirts.

P.T. Primatexco Indonesia

P.T. Primatexco Indonesia is a spinning, weaving and bleaching firm. Of the capital of US$9,796,720, Daiwabo Co., Ltd., one of Japan's typical spinners, has a 37% equity. The largest shareholder is GKBI (Federation of Indonesian Batik Cooperatives) and it has a 51.0% stake. With 77,112 spindles of spinning frames, 336 air-jet looms and 304 shuttle looms, Primatexco is producing grey goods.

The monthly production capacity is 3,000 bales of cotton yarn and 150 bales of spun manmade fiber yarn.

Weaving is predominantly pure cotton woven fabrics and the monthly production if 4 million yards is available. 6 million yards of bleaching is also available.

Head office factory is situated in Sambong Batang 51201, Central Java. Established in July 1972, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary of founding in 2001.

As for bleaching technology, the company introduced the technology of Yamatogawa Dyeing Works, Ltd., a dyeing & finishing firm with a history of 100 years in Japan. Primatexco was a state policy company to manufacture grey for "batik", Indonesia's traditional fabrics. At that time, the company was the largest textile firm in Indonesia.

In the 1990s, Primatexco began to develop new markets overseas, particularly in Japan, as a result of the decline of the batik industry.

Presently, the export ratio is 80%. In 2000 and 2001, the company resumed equipment investment which it had suspended temporarily and began to expand one warper, one sizing machine and 102 air-jet looms in order to strengthen the equipment mainly in the weaving department.

Annual sales are 270 billion rupiah. The number of employees is 1,850. Primatexco has a stake in other textile firms. Its equity participation is: 15% for Printex, a spinning firm; 5% for Tokai Texprint, a dyeing & printing firm; and 6.9% for Dayani Garment, an apparel manufacturing firm.

Based on small item/large volume production, Primatexco plans to increase the production of high-value-added grey fabrics as well. The output of combed yarn and double-layer structured yarn has increased. As for final destinations, shipments to Japan accounted for 45% previously but this figure has fallen to 30% now. Instead of Japan, shipments to Hong Kong and Thailand have risen.

P.T. Dayani Garment Indonesia

P.T. Dayani Garment Indonesia was established at J1. Raya Narogon KM 11, Bantar Gebang Bekasi, West Java as an inspection firm for Indonesian-made apparel products to Japan for handling of sales by Daiwabo Co., Ltd., Japan. The capital is US$2.4 million and the equity participation ratio is: Daiwabo, 56.3%; GKBI, 20%; and Primatexco, 6.9%.

In 1992, the company became an apparel manufacturing firm by introducing 33 sewing machines as well as cloth spreader and cutting equipment. The company has a total of 400 sewing machines by successively introducing 133 units in 1993, 155 units in 1994 and 80 units in 1995. The monthly production capacity is 55,000 pieces of trunks and 10,000 pieces of pajamas.

The number of employees is 1,098, including 3 Japanese. The company is characterized by the manufacture of high-quality products in an integrated cotton product production system in Indonesia. Presently, this factory is called Factory No.1, but there are three other factories now.

Factory No.2 or DGI-2 was established in 1998 by introducing 31 sewing machines and other manufacturing equipment into Block A-II No 29ST Kawasan Berikat Kota Bukit Indah Purwakarta. The number of employees is 55 as of October 2003. The line of business is the manufacture of cases for down futon. The monthly production capacity is 2,000 pieces. These cases are semi-finished products before the wadding of fiberfill.

DGI-3 was established in 1999 in the same area with 56 sewing machines to cope with increasing orders for trunks bound for Europe and the U.S. The number of employees is 202 as of October 2003. The monthly production capacity is 120,000 pieces of trunks.

DGI-4 was established in 2001 in Block A-III No 15D Kawasan Berikat Kota Bukit Indah Purwakarta with 75 sewing machines for the production of dress shirts for shipment to Japan. The monthly production capacity is 50,000 pieces of dress shirts. In September 2003, FGI-4 started apparel manufacturing by importing polyester / cotton blended fabrics made of 90 two-ply yarn spun by Daiwabo, Japan. Apparel manufacturing by using Japanese-made high-quality fabrics as shown here characterizes the operation of DGI-4.

P.T. Nikawa Textile Industry

P.T. Nikawa Textile Industry has its factory in Mitra Karawang Jaya Industrial Estate Desa Parung Mulya, Kec. Ciampel Kab. Karawang 41361 Jawa Barat.

As for yarn, the company produces cotton and polyester/cotton blended yarn. As for woven fabrics, the company also produces cotton or polyester/cotton blended grey fabrics. Nikawa belongs to the Nisshinbo Group.

Nikawa is characterized by uniform and high-quality yarn and woven fabrics. In October 2002, Nikawa expanded spinning equipment from 31,680 spindles to 80,064 spindles. At he same time, the company also introduced doubling machines (doubler) of 17,910 spindles. The company's strategy has focused on the introduction of this equipment which has broadened the scope of product categories for spinning. Spinning factory No.1 produces 40s, 50s and 60s cotton combed yarn, while spinning factory No.2 produces 80s/2 cotton yarn, 34s/2 polyester/cotton blended yarn and 45s polyester/cotton blended yarn. Spinning factory No.1 employs in-house power generation, while spinning factory No.2 uses purchased electric power. The number of employees is 860 and the company has not reduced its work force despite a recession.

Nikawa, an independent entity in the Nisshinbo Group, is a firm spinning 4,000 bales of yarn monthly. Of this yarn output, Nikawatex sells 1,000 bales of yarn, while manufacturing and selling 2 million yards of grey goods by consuming the remaining 3,000 bales of yarn. Primarily, grey goods are supplied and sold to Gistex Nisshinbo, a group firm, as materials. The spirit of manufacturing at Nikawatex is: "We make yarn to make cloth." Estimated applications are: dress shirts, 60%; uniforms, 20%; and bedding, 20%. The company owns 216 air-jet looms running at 700 revolutions per minute.

PI Gistex Nisshinbo Indonesia

P.T. Gistex Nisshinbo began to look into a factory (its predecessor) in 1996, decided to set up a joint-venture firm, in 1997 and completed the establishment and registration of the new company in 1998. Dyeing & finishing operations came on stream in December 1998. After a monthly shipment of 1 million yards in October 1998, Gistex increased the shipment volume to 2 million yards in June 2000. In November 2000, the company decided to launch weaving. Weaving operations began in September 2001. The equity participation ratio for this joint-venture is: Nisshinbo, 60%; Gistex, 30%; and Teijin, 10%. The factory is located at JI. Nanjung No.66 Gimahi Selatan Bandung.

Currently, the line of business is weaving, dyeing & finishing of staple fiber fabrics. Dyeing & finishing operations are broken down into the dyeing of piece dyed fabrics as well as the finishing of yarn-dyed fabrics.

The monthly weaving capacity is 8 million yards with two warpers, one sizing machine and 86 air-jet looms.

As for dyeing & finishing, Gistex's equipment is practically the same as Nisshinbo's factory in Japan, except for liquid ammonia processing equipment. The monthly dyeing & finishing capacity is 2.5 million yards and the quality of products is as high as Japanese counterparts

Order entry, fabric management, weaving & finishing process control and even the issue of slips are all computerized. As a result, the company has achieved the same level of high quality and highly accurate delivery management as in Japan. Coal-fired boilers started operation in March 2004. The amount of investment was nearly 100 million yen. This will reduce the factory cost by 7-8%. With ample incoming orders, the challenging task in the future for Gistex Nisshinbo is how to increase the production volume.

P.T. Naigai Shirts Indonesia

RT. Naigai Shirts Indonesia is located at J1. Maligi III Lot N-3b Kawasann Industri KIIC Karawang 41361 Jawa Barat. The company was established in January 2002 and started operation in October 2002. The line of business is the manufacture of dress shirts. The capital is US$850,000. The equity participation ratio is: Naigai Shirts (Japan), 58.8%; and Nisshinbo Industries, Inc., 41.2%. The number of employees is: female, 169; and male, 7.

Three years ago, Naigai Shirts (Japan) owned four shirt-manufacturing factories within Japan. Of the four factories, the company closed three and transferred them overseas. Presently, the only factory the company owns in Japan is operating in Kagoshima, Kyushu. Of the three transferred factories, two are in China and one is this factory in Indonesia.

The factory in Indonesia keeps a 40-hour week system, working 8 hours a day and 5 days a week. The factory operates 21 days on a monthly average. For the December 2003 accounting term, the company produced 400,000 pieces of shirts and sales were US$1.25 million. For the December 2004 accounting term, the company plans to manufacture 600,000 pieces and report sales of US$1.9 million. This industrial estate is located three hours by car from Bungdong, the textile-producing district in Indonesia. Operating in Indonesia are Gistex Nisshinbo and Nikawa Textile in the Nisshinbo Group with close business relationships.

So Naigai Shirts decided to advance its factory into Indonesia by giving importance to the supply of fabrics from these firms.

P.T. Teijin Indonesia Fiber Corporation Tbk [TIFICO]

P.T. Teijin Indonesia Fiber Corporation has the following daily production capacity: 340 tons of polyester fiber and 215 tons of polyester filament. With competitiveness in both quality and price, polyester staple continues very tight production conditions at this time.

Polyester filament has lost its global competitiveness because of old equipment. The company's business has been forced to post losses in 2002 and 2003 consecutively as a result of a strong rupiah, soaring personnel expenses and climbing fuel cost. In order to deal with this situation, the company reduced work force in 2003 by inviting voluntary retirements of 320 employees. In October 2003, the company introduced coal-fired boilers.

These cost-cutting programs have produced favorable results and recently the monthly business performance has shown a trend toward black ink figures. If this situation should continue, there are highly hopeful expectations for profits on an annual basis.

In the midst of intensifying global competition, many Japanese firms have escaped to the sophistication path. Nevertheless, TIFICO will not only keep staying there. It certainly will implement the sophistication and differentiation of products. Even so, TIFICO will not approve the falling volume. In other words, TIFICO has the expansion of production in mind. Korean and Taiwanese synthetic fiber producers have begun to implement the sophistication path with equipment on a greater scale than in Japan. This will result in marketing sophisticated items at lower prices than Japanese counterparts. Therefore, the sophistication path undertaken by Japanese-made products is unable to produce successful results.

In and after October 2003, TIFICO's restructuring programs have proved to be successful, generating profits every month. If these profits should continue to stabilize in the future, TIFICO is going to newly expand equipment for polymerization, staple and yarn. The company plans to generate profits with a small amount of sophisticated products, while at the same time producing profits with a massive volume of commodity items as well.

With an investment of 300 million yen in two units of coal-fired boilers, the company improved energy cost considerably. With an additional investment of 2 billion yen, the company will introduce coal-fired power generation equipment. This will generate electric power of 30,000 KWh by burning 500 tons of coal per day. So far the company had eight units of oil -fired power generation equipment. Of these, the company will scrap two because they are old fashioned, but will keep the remaining six in order to back up coalfired power generation.

TIFICO will manufacture wet type short cut fiber for nonwovens for the first time and start marketing to U.S. firms. As for polyester staple fiber, the company has competitive equipment with the monthly output of 11,000 tons. This particular sector continues to register black ink figures even when competing with China.

Fiber for spinning applications is consumed for pure polyester yarn, polyester/cotton blended yarn and polyester/rayon blended yarn in the Indonesian domestic market. Fiber exports are for fiberfill applications. These exports have shown smooth moves to the U.S., Malaysia, New Zealand and elsewhere.

As for wet type shot-cut fiber for nonwovens which the company is going to launch this year for the first time, the remodeling work on the production line has already started at the staple fiber factory in Tangerang, Indonesia in accordance with the specification for 3d x 5mm, for example. The equipment is scheduled for completion and operation in June 2004, followed by marketing in September.

Previously, wet type short cut fiber for nonwovens had been manufactured as sophisticated items at factories in Japan and Japanese sales force carried out marketing. In this case of TIFICO, part of the trading area in this particular sector is going to be transferred from Japan to Indonesia. By operating single-handedly in Indonesia, TIFICO will be able to carry out manufacturing through marketing efficiently and independently.

P.T. Tomenbo Indonesia

P.T. Tomenbo Indonesia is located at JL Yani, Km-9, Ujungberung, Bandung. Its predecessor RT. Naintex Dua was established in 1974. With loans from Tomen Corporation, the firm purchased main machines & equipment and operated manmade fiber spinning and dyeing business. Subsequently, however, the company failed in business as an effect of post-oil shock recession and became insolvent in the payment of the amount of principal and interest for the loans from Tomen. Consequently, Tomen acquired the management rights in order to preserve and recover the remaining obligations. Tomen has been operating this business since April 1981 by transferring its personnel to Gist temporarily.

In August 1992, the company changed its company name to the present name, RT. Tomenbo Indonesia. In june 2002, Tomen acquired a 100% ownership of the company's shares with an official approval of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

The line of business at Tomenbo is acrylic yarn spinning business by a modified cotton spinning system. The company produces 100% spun polyester yarn, polyester/rayon blended yarn and 100% spun acrylic yarn. Annual sales were US$21.26 million for fiscal 2002. The number of employees was 4 Japanese and 1,021 Indonesians as of June 2003.

Factory No.1 has 100 Toyota-built spinning frames (40,800 spindles). Factory No.2 has 11 Toyota-built spinning frames (10,560 spindles). Factory No.l has 43 Murata-built two-for-one twisters. The monthly output is 700 tons for Factory No.l and 200 tons for Factory No.2.

The company has reduced its output from 900 tons to 600 tons. This is to cope with higher electric power rates. It is really no use producing unprofitable products when electric power rates are so high. Consequently, the company changed to focus on profitable products alone. By so doing, the remaining commodity yarn was reduced to zero. At the end of 2003, the company laid off 190 employees. The company also cut overtime pay by stopping production on Sundays and holidays. With a 20% cut in the number of employees and a 10% reduction in overtime pay, the company could trim personnel expenses by 30% on the whole. In the meantime, sales fell only 10%. This means that sales have not fallen as much as the physical volume because the company has begun to sell products with higher unit prices, despite the fact that the output fell and the operating time became shorter. The breakdown of materials is: acrylics, 65-70%; spun polyester, 20-25%; and polyester/rayon blended, 5-10%. In this environment, there is a great anticipation for profits in fiscal 2004.

The presence of Tomenbo is meaningful because it means Tomen Corporation, a trading firm, has a production base. What is more important is that this base is a factory to be able to produce high-quality and widely diversified products. This meaning will become increasingly intensified when consideration is given to the global marketing strategies of trading firms.

Tomen Corporation Indonesia

Textile & apparel sales at Tomen Corporation Indonesia for the December 2003 accounting term were US$120 million (including non-principal business). The company has three Japanese staff members responsible for textile business. Once the company handled textile machinery, steel, non-ferrous metals and coal, but all these commercial rights were transferred to Toyota Tsusho, which integrated these businesses. Tomen handles various kinds of raw textile products such as raw cotton, yarn and woven fabrics.

P.T. Indonesia Asahi Kasei (INDACI)

P.T. Indonesia Asahi Kasei (INDACI) is an acrylic yarnspinning factory with equipment for yarn dyeing. It also has a nylon factory. Acrylic yarn is marketed to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Korea, while nylon yarn to Taiwan, Japan and the U.S.

The company reported losses last year. To cope with this situation, the company has begun to make costcutting efforts this year. In January this year, the company announced a voluntary retirement system and planed to reduce personnel at its acrylic factory from 1,000 last year to 750 by June this year. (Interviewed in April) Projected sales for 2004 are 4.7-4.8 billion yen and the company plans to post profits, except for extraordinary losses. As for the nylon factory the production capacity of monofilament yarn rose to 50 tons as a result of the transfer one water-cooled type nylon monofilament manufacturing equipment from its Nobeoka factory in Japan.

P.T. Unilon Textile Industries (UTI)

P.T. Unilon Textile Industries (UTI) has the capital of US$10.5 million (3.4 billion rupiah). The equity participation ratio is: Toyobo Co., Ltd., 32.505%; Prominent Apparel (Hong Kong), 32.505%; Sari Hasta, 30%; and Mult Investama, 4.99%. The company was established and registered in January 1970. With 150 looms, the company started operations in 1971. From 1972 to 1973, the secondphase and third-phase construction took place to add spinning equipment and looms.

In 1974, the company installed a complete set of dyeing equipment. In 1990, a spinning factory with 5,184 spindles was built. From 1994 to 1996, plant expansions continued in each department, while the company gave a strong push to a shift to wide-width fabrics. In 1997, the company started to implement both the purchase of electric power and self-generation. In 2002, the company introduced two units of computerized yarn manufacturing equipment.

After all these changes, the current equipment is: 81 spinning frames (34,992 spindles), 313 air-jet looms, 4 rapier looms and 153 shuttle looms with dobby machines. The number of looms totals 470 units.

The monthly spinning capacity is 1,600 bales, while the monthly weaving capacity is 2.45 million yards. Dyeing capacity is 2.4 million yards, of which 800,000 yards are wide-width.

Unilon's factory started operation with the equipment for polyester cotton fabrics, generating profits at the outset by domestic selling in the Indonesian domestic market. After the Plaza Accord in 1985, however, the company shifted its priority to exports. Presently, the whole output is for exports. Export destinations are: the U.S., 30%; the EU, 25%; Japan, 15%; the balance of 15% goes to Australia, Bangladesh and other countries in Asia.

In the case of polyester / cotton blended woven fabrics, it is difficult to satisfy price requirements and the business is unprofitable. This is why the company has become pure cotton fabric-oriented. Presently, the mainstay item is yarn dyed fabrics. Furthermore, in the case of polyester woven fabrics, the company has achieved sophistication by adopting polyester staple with functional properties. The company also uses polyester staple from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. By spinning highly shrinkable polyester staple with its good feel and warmthretaining property for jersey applications, the company has gained highly favorable evaluations.

Sales for the December 2003 accounting term were US$25 million, but the company posted losses. For this reason, the company has endeavored to reduce energy and labor costs this year. In April, the company started operating coal-fired boilers and cut steam generating cost to one-third, as compared with the past. Of three oil -fired boilers, the company will scrap two, but will keep one for backup purposes.

A year ago, the company started the production of fabrics for "VP-finish", a sophisticated finish for Toyobo's shirting. With the introduction of "VP finish" testing equipment in April this year, various kinds of testing have been made available. These arrangements have made it possible to make delivery quickly.

P.T. Itochu Indonesia

PT. Itochu Indonesia, a trading firm established in 1990, is granted with an export/import license to trade in diversified products such as chemicals, foods, paper, pulp and lumber. In Indonesia, there are 38 ltochu's associated firms in which ltochu has equity participation, of which six firms are involved in textiles & apparel.

As for textiles & apparel, ltochu handles all forms of textiles & apparel from staple, yarn, fabrics to industrial materials and apparel products. The textile & apparel division has 5 Japanese and 31 local staff members. ltochu Indonesia's basic strategy is to merchandize and market high-grade products rather than Chinese-made products which display the advantages of Indonesia without competing with China.

With synthetic fiber producers and cotton spinners with Japanese capital, Indonesia has the base that makes it possible to produce high-value-added products from materials to fabrics and apparel products. A spokesperson of the company explains that Indonesia has superiority over China in manmade fiber yarn, manmade fiber staple and weaving technology, among other things.

PI Mermaid Textile lndustri Indonesia (Mertex)

P.T. Mermaid Textile lndustri Indonesia (Mertex) has its factory at Desa Lenkong, Kecamatan Mojoanyar, Kab. Mojokerto, Jawa Timur. Established in 1972, the company started operation in 1972. The capital is US$16.36 million (6,789.4 million rupiah). The equity participation ratio is: Shikibo Co., Ltd., 72.8%; Nomura Trading Holdings, 22.98%; and the Indonesian party, 4.22%. When including group firms, Mertex will have integrated manufacturing equipment from spinning to apparel manufacturing. However, its main business is the marketing of textiles. The export ratio is 75%.

The spinning equipment is 50,784 spindles. The company owns 180 air-jet looms, 20 rapier looms and 104 shuttle looms, a total of 304 looms. As for dyeing & finishing equipment, the company has one line for preparatory dyeing, two lines for dyeing and two lines of resin processing. The company also has one calendar-finishing machine.

Mertex owns looms in 160cm and 190cm widths. Originally, Mertex was a factory manufacturing narrow-width shirting. While competing with China, however, Mertex began an orientation toward wide-width. Previously, the continuous dyeing equipment was 1,650 mm in width, but now 1,800mm width is available. The current actual production volume against the capacity is 1.8 million yards of woven fabrics and 1.5 million yards of dyeing & finishing. Sophistication in quality is partly responsible for a fall in production volume.

Sales of the Mertex Group for the December 2003 accounting term were US$2.5 million, and registering lower sales than the preceding year. Ordinary losses have continued for two years consecutively. In 2003, it was difficult to satisfy price requirements because of soaring cotton prices. 186-thread and 208-thread polyester/ cotton blended fabrics account for 20% of overall woven fabrics produced by Mertex. These products once generated profits, but it has been difficult in recent year.

Consequently, the company is aggressively working on fabrics for work uniforms and new products such as 80s / 2 pure cotton fabrics.

This factory can produce ring double yarn (ciro-spun cotton yarn) and double-layer structured yarn.

P.T. Kurabo Manunggal Textile Industries (Kumatex)

P.T. Kurabo Manunggal Textile Industries (Kumatex) was established in 1974 and started operation in 1976. The factory is located at Jl. M.H. Thamrin l, Tangerang, Jawa Barat. The capital is US$16 million (6,640 million rupiah). The equity participation ratio is: Kurabo Industries Ltd., 42.86%; Marubeni Corporation, 17.14%; and Dharma Manunggal, 40%.

Its equipment includes 121 spinning frames (52,448 spindles), 53 twisters (6,360 spindles), 10 circular knitting machines and 56 air-jet looms. The monthly output for fiscal 2002 is: yarn, 32,000 bales; knit, 185 tons; and woven fabrics, 4.89 million yards. The export ratio in fiscal 2002 is 71.2%.

Sales for the December 2003 accounting term remained practically unchanged, compared with the preceding year. The company posted ordinary losses because of soaring cotton prices. For this reason, the company is going to reduce the ratio of commodity products from 40% to 30%, The company is going to pursue a policy of manufacturing optimum products offered only by Indonesia, instead of products which are available everywhere.

The company has received recognition and favorable reception for its selling points shown by special acrylic yarn for sweaters to produce softness and a crisp feel as well as bulky acrylic yarn to give a comfortable feel to socks. In addition to bulky acrylic, diversified materials used by the company include anti pilling polyester, regenerated polyester fiber, Supima cotton and Egyptian cotton. The company produces sophisticated yarns such as ring double yarn (ciro-spun cotton yarn) and double-layer structured yarn by using these materials and various types of equipment.

Polyfin Canggih

Export - Oriented Polyester Filament Producer in Bandung

PT. Polyfin Canggih is a leading polyester filament producer launching its operation in Bandung, a filament textile-manufacturing center in Indonesia. It is worthy of note that Polyfin started its business as an export-oriented fiber producer from the beginning of its establishment in November 1994. The company has the largest capacity in Indonesia for a single plant of its type and as one of the largest DTY producers in Indonesia.

Polyfin started its operation with 180 tons/day capacity : 72 tons for DTY, 30 tons for SDY and 78 tons for chips. As the daily production capacity of DTY increased to 180 tons in 1999, Polyfin's daily production capacity of polyester filament yarn & chips amounts to 232.5 tons.

In year 2003, about 53% of production was exported to overseas countries thanks to its good reputation on quality. By market, Europe including Spain, and Italy is the largest market for the company, followed by China (including Hong Kong), Vietnam, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world. About 47% of production is shipped to the domestic market. Polyfin has been carrying out marketing in Europe including Poland, through two sole agents. One agent in the United Kingdom covers U. K territory including Ireland, and the other agent in Italy covers the remaining European region (except U.K) and has structured sales networks by cooperating with agents in major European countries.

Polyfin acquired ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates in 2001. The company also acquired OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and the Primaniyarta Award by Indonesian government, which certifies contributions to the nation by achieving a large amount of exports. This award has been given to Polyfin in two successive years, 2001 & 2002.

Toray Group in Indonesia

P.T. Toray Industries Indonesia (TIN)

P.T. Toray Industries Indonesia (TIN) is a regional headquarters of the Toray Group in Indonesia. Established in October 2002, the company has the capital of US$200,000. According to the company, operating profits for fiscal 2003 at five major firms in the Toray Group doubled from the preceding year. Profit improvement programs with particular emphasis on cost cutting have proved to be successful. Priority programs for this year include the continuation of business operations with consideration given to safety, disaster prevention and the environment as well as completely accident-free operation, the reduction of total cost and a shift to a new value creator.

P.T. Indonesia Toray Synthetics [ITS]

P.T. Indonesia Toray Synthetics (ITS) was established in 1971 with the capital of 20.714 billion rupiah. The equity participation ratio is: Toray Industries Inc., 65.5%; Mitsui & Co., Ltd., 19.9%; and P.T. Easterntex, 14.6%. The production capacity is: nylon filament, 320 tons; polyester filament, 1,300 tons; and polyester staple, 5,550 tons. ITS, the only nylon yarn producer in Indonesia with an integrated operation of polymerization and spinning, has a share of 43% in Indonesia for apparel and industrial applications combined. So far innerwear to Europe and the EU. was an important application in marketing. Innerwear is made of both nylon and spandex. Nylon filament generated considerable profits until 2002; however, incoming orders have continued to fall since 9.11 terrorism. Furthermore, the quality of Chinese-made products has improved and incoming orders declined considerably in this particular sector.

The company is supplying nylon yarn suitable for sportswear and casual wear to Toray Sakai Dyeing and Weaving (TSD), a Toray Group firm in China, since 2003.

P.T. Century Textile Industry TBK [CENTEX)

P.T. Century Textile Industry TBK (CENTEX) was established in 1970 and started operation in 1972. CENTEX is a poly ester/cotton blended yarn weaving, dyeing and finishing firm. The equipment capacity is: spinning, 730,000 lb.; weaving, 8.8 million yards; and dyeing, 4 million yards. The capital is 10 billion rupiah. The equity participation ratio is: Toray Industries Inc., 27.9%; Kanematsu Textile, 23.0%; and Tokai Senko KK, 3.3%.

CENTEX positions itself as "a firm producing special items among polyester/cotton blended woven fabrics." The weaving equipment is entirely 44/45 inch in width. 30% of the weaving equipment has the dobby attachment. The company aims to reduce the factory cost of energy by 15%. The breakdown of energy cost is: electric power, 80%; and natural gas, 20%. In February 2003, the company introduced natural gas for boilers. As for power generation, the company started to examine whether the company should use coal or natural gas. After registering all-time high profits in 1997, the business results of CENTEX have subsequently declined. The company posted operating losses in the first half of 2003. For the October 2003-March 2004 period, the company achieved black ink figures on operating profit basis. Destinations of final products for shirting are: Europe and the U.S., 70%; Japan, 20%; and the Indonesian domestic market, 10%.

P.T. Easterntex [ETX]

P.T. Easterntex (ETX) is a spinning and weaving factory for poly ester/cotton blended yarn and fabrics.

The capital is US$12.6 million. The equity participation ratio is: Toray, 69.8%; and the Indonesian party, 30.2%. With an investment of 160 billion rupiah, the new factory (SB Factory) came on stream in November 2000. This was intended to offset part of yarn spinning capacity of Pentex in Malaysia which was destroyed by fire in June 1997.

The current equipment is 152 spinning frames (65,040 spindles) at SA Factory and 34 spinning frames (34,272 spindles) at SB Factory, a total of 186 spinning frames (99,312 spindles). The company owns 60 shuttle looms, 358 44/45 inch wide air-jet looms and 248 58/60inch wide air-jet looms. From the above, the current production capacity is: spinning, 2.15 million lb.; and weaving, 6.63 million yards. The number of employees was reduced from 1,000 in 2002 to 889 in 2003 and 840 in 2004.

The analysis of energy demand at ETX reveals that the ratio of oil -fired in-house power generation and purchased electric power is fifty-fifty. Presently, the company has started to examine whether the company should adopt a shift from in-house generation to natural gas

The plan to change equipment for the April-September 2004 period calls for an addition of spring frames (1,008 spindles). In the meantime, the company will change to a 688 air-jet loom operating system in and after October by suspending the operation of shuttle looms entirely.

P.T. Indonesia Synthetics Textile Mills[ISTEM]

P.T. Indonesia Synthetics Textile Mills (ISTEM) was established in 1970 and started operation in 1972. ISTEM is a spinning, weaving and dyeing & finishing factory for polyester/ray on blended yarn and fabrics. The company's weaving department has 200 air-jet looms.

The monthly equipment capacity is: spinning, 1.18 million lb.; weaving, 2.12 million meters; and dyeing, 1.85 million meters. The capital is US$10.3 million. The equity participation ratio is: Toray Industries Inc., 50.1%; Mitsui & Co., Ltd., 25.1%; and the Indonesian party, 24.8%. The company suffered losses in 2001 and 2002, but rebounded to ordinary profits in 2003. The multiplier effect of costcutting and a rise in unit prices was beneficial.

ISTEM's main market is the Middle East, which accounts for 70%. Other destinations of exports are: Europe, 15%; and the Indonesian domestic market, 15%. There is no shipment to Japan.

P.T. Acryl Textile Mills [ACTEM]

P.T. Acryl Textile Mills (ACTEM) was established and started operation in 1975. ACTEM is an acrylic yarn spinning and dyeing firm. The monthly equipment capacity is: spinning, 390 tons; and dyeing, 280 tons. The capital is US$2.3 million. The equity participation ratio is: Toray Industries Inc., 50.3%; Mitsui & Co., Ltd., 19.7%; and the Indonesian party, 30%. The number of employees is 404 as of February 2003.

Losses continued in 2001 and 2002 consecutively. Despite the implementation of action programs to deal with losses, small losses were left in 2003. Acrylic fiber spinning business has seasonal factors and it is difficult to work out effective action programs to offset this situation.

DyStar Colours Indonesia:

The Leading supply bases

P.T. Dystar Colours Indonesia, a subsidiary of DyStar Textilefarben GmbH & Co. Deutschland KG., Germany, is manufacturing international standard textile dyes as a base for DyStar's global networks and takes care of the local marketing for the Indonesian textile market. They are going to intensify their business by reinforcing their concentration on innovative products.

Main local promotion efforts are for new innovative product ranges like "Ramazol R-GB" and "Levafix CA" for cellulosic dyeing, "Dianix PLUS Series" and "Optidye Programme" for polyester, "Indigo Solution" for blue denim dyeing and now also locally produced "Imperon Pigments" for pigment printing. "Indigo Solution" can contribute to substantial cost saving in the dyeing process.

DyStar Colours Indonesia owns factories in Gabus and Cilegon, West Java. The Gabus Factory is producing disperse dyes. Its annual production capacity is 10,000 tons. They are going to expand its production capacity by 2,500 tons to 12,500tons at the end of 2004.

The Cilegon Factory is producing reactive dyes with an annual production capacity of 6,000 tons. 85% of dyes produced by DyStar Colours Indonesia are for export and the remaining 15% for the Indonesian local market. The head office in Germany is organizing worldwide distribution.

Being the largest DyStar disperse dye factory and the second largest DyStar factory for reactive dyes after its head office factory, DyStar Colours Indonesia is one of the leading supply bases for DyStar. Its main shipment destinations are diversified and include not only Asia, but also big markets like the U.S., Japan, Italy, France, Germany and Turkey and the rest of the world. DyStar Colours Indonesia exports also very special products to Japanese customers requesting very high quality products.

P.T. Tokai Texprint Indonesia

P.T. Tokai Texprint Indonesia was established in 1991 as a printing & dyeing firm. The monthly production capacity is 3 million yards. Actual production in January-June 2004 shows the monthly output of 3.3-2.4 million yards.

Of its production, half is for its converting business where the company itself handles sales from grey fabrics, while the remaining half is for commission processing. The company has placed special emphasis on the U.S. market because of the decline in exports to Japan. The number of employees was 460 as of December 2003. However, manpower reduction programs through natural decreases are under way and the company will trim this figure to 400 in December 2004. The company will also reduce 13 Japanese in March 2004 to 10 in December 2004.

The company is capable of processing difficult items for dyeing such as fancy fabrics and linen blended fabrics. As for its converting business, the company's policy is to seek everywhere throughout the world's apparel manufacturing bases for marketing. In addition to Indonesia, the scope of marketing has been expanded to include Sri Lanka, South Africa, Dubai, Manila and China.

Tokai Texprint is positioned as a printer to play its role in an integrated system operated by equity participating firms (Daiwabo Group and GKBI). In the meantime, as a member of the Tokai Senko KK Group, the company is ready to offer high-quality fabrics at reasonable prices by combining arrangements of cheap fabrics with high-grade dyeing technology as a textile converter through the utilization of its own global network. Under the leadership of a Japanese manager, the company is capable of manufacturing and marketing fabrics which customers find reliable.

P.T. South Pacific Viscose

Fulfilling the Demand for High Quality Fiber

Located in Purwakarta, West Java, PT South Pacific Viscose is a member of the Lenzing Group and it has been serving the Indonesian and Asian Textile Industry for 22 years. The company's strategic aim is to fulfill the demand for high quality viscose fiber for the Textile and Non Woven Industries in Indonesia and the Asian/Pacific region now and in the future.

Stringent quality requirements are achieved by joint cooperation with the research & development team as well as using Lenzing fiber technology. Therefore many steps are taken to improve quality and quantity according to demand and to produce a viscose fiber which meets the high standard of Lenzing Fibers - world leader in cellulose fiber technology.

Gerhard Danninger, Sales and Marketing Director, points to the successful development of SPV. SPV has been steadily growing over the last 22 years and is still continuing its improvement. The first line for Viscose production was opened in 1982 with an annual capacity of 30.000 to. Over the years numerous extensions and modifications have taken place to reach a current annual capacity of 140.000 to. Significant milestones have been the opening of Line 3 in 1996 and due to the high quality standard, SPV has also been able to serve the market with a Non Woven Fiber since 1998.

SPV is currently producing various fiber types for the textile and non woven industry ranging from a fiber count of 1.2 to 2.0 den, cut length 32 to 51 mm and luster bright, semidull and dull. From this year's production SPV will produce around 15% of fiber for non-woven applications; this will be of particular importance for the future development of other Asian markets like China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

"SPV is market leader in the Indonesian market. Nevertheless, an important share of our production is exported. SPV is also reinforcing its position by offering Lenzing Modal� and Lenzing Lyocell� to Indonesia. Our technical marketing by Peter Krueger as well as merchandising by Ida Purnama will therefore be important elements in the introduction of these top functional fibers " said Mr. Gerhard Danninger who is sales director for Lenzing Fibers in Asia and as an SPV board member is also responsible for sales in SPV.

"The demand for viscose fiber has dramatically increased since the third quarter of last year and we see SPV very well booked till the third quarter 2004.

The future success of SPV as a viscose fiber supplier depends on its ability to produce high quality fiber, to focus on "specialty products" like non-woven fiber and to be aware of developments in the industry.

"We are conscious of changes in demand and application from our customer's side and of the importance of new and innovative products to fulfill the requirements of the industry. In this respect we make full use of the research and development resources of the LENZING Group to support and meet our customers demands", says Peter Krueger.

[Sidebar]

P.T. Toyota Tsusho Indonesia

P.T. Toyota Tsusho Indonesia primarily handles textile machinery and sales for the March 2004 accounting term were US$15 million. One Japanese and two local staff members do business operation. The company will market spinning equipment and looms to textile factories, which are operating in Indonesia.