Hyundai recalls new Sonata due to close faults

Kim Yeon-hee and David Bailey SEOUL/DETROIT Wed Feb 24, 2010 3:10am EST Related News Hyundai halts U.S. sales of 2011 Sonata; shares dropTue, Feb 23 2010Hyundai heads for fast lane as Toyota skids?Tue, Feb 23 2010UPDATE 3-Corolla probe threatens Toyota brandThu, Feb 18 2010Hyundai targets 4.5 percent rise in U.S. market shareTue, Feb 16 2010Hyundai targets 4.5 percent rise in U.S. market shareMon, Feb 15 2010

SEOUL/DETROIT (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor will recall 47,000 of its new Sonata sedans to fix faulty door latches, seeking to avoid the damaging criticism Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp faces for its handling of a series of safety problems.

Japan

The South Korean automaker announced the voluntary recall after earlier saying it would suspend U.S. sales of its 2011 Sonata, a move analysts said was in contrast to Toyota"s sluggish response to concerns about sudden unintended acceleration.

"Recalls have become a highly sensitive issue since Toyota"s recall," said Yim Eun-young, an analyst at Dongbu Securities.

"Hyundai seems to have decided to deal with these issues as fast as they can."

Hyundai, which was the only major automaker to increase sales in the battered U.S. market last year, has targeted Toyota customers rattled by the acceleration problems linked to dozens of crashes and the recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles.

Shares in Hyundai Motor fell as much as 4.3 percent in early Wednesday trading and ended down 2.6 percent versus a 1 percent drop in the wider market. The stock had risen 13 percent since Toyota"s recall woes spiraled in January.

Stephen Ahn, auto analyst at LIG Investment Securities in Seoul, said the recall would undermine Hyundai"s image at a time when customers were sensitive to quality following Toyota"s mass recall.

"But given that the flawed part is a not a key function such as the accelerator, powertrain or electronic controls, it will have little impact on Hyundai"s sales," he said.

The Sonata and Elantra are the two top selling models for Hyundai, the world"s No.4 carmaker with affiliate Kia Motors Corp.

"We have upgraded quality problems to a safety problem and decided to make a voluntary recall," the company said in an emailed statement in Korean.

NO RIPPLE EFFECT

The recall will affect about 1,300 of the 2011 Sonata sedans built through February 16 at Hyundai"s plant in Alabama and sold to customers, plus 46,000 YF Sonata units produced through December 6 in South Korea. The new model started to be sold from September 2009 in South Korea and this month in the United States.

Hyundai notified dealers late on Monday of potential faults in the front-door latches of the new model that could affect 5,000 vehicles, and the stop-sale order was put into effect at U.S. dealers on Tuesday, a spokesman said.

It will notify South Korea"s transport ministry and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this week of the decision to recall the cars in March.

The company said it received complaints from customers but no reports of accidents or injuries related to the model.

The South Korean automaker is targeting 4.5 percent market share in the United States this year, helped by popular new product launches and aggressive marketing.

Hyundai plans to launch the new Accent and a revamped Elantra this year, which competes against the Corolla and Honda"s Civic.

With the new models, Hyundai aims to increase global sales in 2010 by 11 percent to 3.46 million vehicles.

Hyundai"s U.S. sales rose 8.3 percent to 435,064 units in 2009, while industrywide U.S. sales fell 21 percent. Its U.S. market share increased to 4.2 percent from 3 percent in 2008.

(Additional reporting by Shin Jieun, Cheon Jong-woo, Seo Eun-kyung and Rhee So-eui; Editing by Ian Geoghegan and Lincoln Feast)

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Carlton Cole clashes with West Ham fans after relegation fears feature Premier League

Alyson Rudd & , : {}

Gianfranco Zola said it was painful for him, but this comprehensive defeat was painful for everyone connected to West Ham United.

The supporters jeered the players and, for the first time, their manager. too. At the end last night, Carlton Cole, the West Ham and England striker, was involved in an angry confrontation with several fans.

It was very, very painful for me and I take full responsibility for that, Zola said of the defeat.

Zola had been criticised by David Sullivan, the West Ham co-owner, for being too nice to handle the trauma of a relegation battle. And this defeat bore all the hallmarks of a performance run by pleasantries. True, Zola hauled James Tomkins, whose glaring error led to the first goal, off at half-time but even that was not as ruthless as it might have appeared after Zola confirmed the young defender had a foot injury.

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The owners can do whatever they feel is the right thing to do, Zola said. I try to do my work as best I can every single day. If thats not considered good enough, there you go.

This was just the result Hull City and Burnley needed. West Ham truly can be considered part of the relegation tussle. But then Zolas side performed as if they knew that from kick-off, failing to take their cue from a supremely confident Wolverhampton Wanderers side who more than deserved their first victory at Upton Park since 1978.

Zola was not expected to stay beyond the summer but may now leave much sooner. The fans received free clap banners that produced a curious static noise that initially served partially to drown out the groans. By the end the banners sounded more like nails being hammered into coffins.

Maybe what went on today got to him and he reacted the wrong way, Benni McCarthy said of Coles dispute with the supporters.

If starting the evening four points above the relegation zone can give a team a sense of superiority, Wolves were glad to adopt it. The first real chance fell to Mick McCarthys side with Kevin Foley hitting the crossbar. It was a warning that the visitors were in a feisty frame of mind and it was no shock when they took the lead.

A mistake by Tomkins, who seemed unsure if he wanted to play the ball backwards or forwards, allowed Kevin Doyle to nip in, scamper towards goal and beat Robert Green at his far post with an almost relaxed left-footed strike.

Once Wolves had taken a two-goal lead, the crowds mood darkened. David Jones fed Ronald Zubar and his rifled shot was surprisingly confident for a defender scoring only his second goal for the club. The ever excellent Matt Jarvis skipped on to another cute Jones pass two minutes later to make it 3-0, with Green left staring at another shot nestling in the corner of his net.

The best move of the game, started by Alessandro Diamantis fine cross-field ball to Junior Stanislas, belonged to West Ham not for them route one in a crisis but produced the best save, denying them a stirring finale even though Guillermo Franco lobbed the keeper for a consolation goal in added time.

The Wolves defence were furious as they had to a man assumed Franco was offside but the home fans were left wondering why their players had not looked half as annoyed with themselves all game.

West Ham United (4-4-2): R Green J Faubert, J Tomkins (sub: J Spector, 46min), M Upson, F Daprela V Behrami, S Parker, R Kovac (sub: J Stanislas, 46), A Diamanti B McCarthy (sub: G Franco, 71), C Cole. Substitutes not used: M Stech, Ilan, Mido, M Noble.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-1-4-1): M Hahnemann R Zubar (sub: G Halford, 80), J Craddock, C Berra, G Elokobi M Mancienne (sub: A Guedioura, 86) K Foley, K Henry, D Jones, M Jarvis (sub: S Ward, 71) K Doyle. Substitutes not used: W Hennessey, S Ebanks-Blake, C Iwelumo, N Milijas. Booked: Zubar, Mancienne.

Referee: P Dowd.

Lloyds progress for Chancellor with warn distinction forecast

Patrick Hosking, Miles Costello, Rebecca OConnor & , : {}

Lloyds Banking Group lifted hopes that the liberation was entertainment speed yesterday when it reported that bad debts were timorous faster than approaching and that it was approaching to have a distinction this year.

Last year it lost 6.3 billion after essay off a jot down twenty-four billion of loans, often hereditary in the arise of the argumentative government-brokered rescue merger of HBOS.

The warn proclamation usually 3 weeks after the bank reported full-year total stirred analysts to ascent their forecasts for the year from a medium loss of around 300 million to increase of in in between 500 million and 1 billion.

Shares in Lloyds, that is 41 per cent-owned by the Government after a twenty-three billion rescue last year, rose to a shutting high for the year of 60.1p. The surge took them inside of distinguished area of the 74p at that taxpayers mangle even, sparking conjecture that the Government could try to sell piece of the seductiveness prior to the election.

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However, well-placed sources pronounced this was rarely unlikely, given the approaching timing of the check and the outrageous Prudential rights issue, that would moderate financier ardour for some-more monetary stocks.

When Lloyds published the annual formula 3 weeks ago it pronounced that the bad debts were timorous by about twenty per cent each 6 months and it approaching that settlement to continue. Yesterday it said: The organisation right away expects to broach a improved spoil opening than formerly guided in both sell and corporate businesses.

Lloyds pronounced that he preference to issue the warn refurbish was to keep shareholders entirely informed, given Eric Daniels, the arch executive, is due to refurbish institutional shareholders at a discussion in London on Wednesday Budget day. Combined with better-than-expected total for open borrowing on Thursday, the Lloyds proclamation provides a somewhat less murky backdrop to Alistair Darlings speech.

Lloyds, that has 3 million in isolation shareholders, pronounced that the trade opening in the initial ten weeks of this year had been strong. The consequential net seductiveness domain the disproportion in in between the rate at that it takes income in and the rate it lends it out was widening as expected, from 1.77 per cent last year towards 2 per cent this year.

Costs remained well controlled, it said, but the bank stranded with the prior perspective that it would fist around 2 billion a year in resources and synergies from the controverisal takeover of HBOS.

The organisation is additionally approaching to take value of a new surge in skill values and begin offered a little of the greatest blurb resources hereditary from HBOS. A pick up of budding properties, thought to be value some-more than 100 million each, will come on to the marketplace in the subsequent couple of weeks, according to sources close to the bank.

• Bradford Bingley, the debt lender nationalised at the tallness of the promissory note predicament in Sep 2008, reported annual pre-tax waste of 196 million for last year, narrowed from a loss prior to well-developed equipment the prior year of 278 million.

Richard Pym, the chairman, waived his desert to a on trial annual reward of 187,500, whilst his handling director, Richard Banks, has paid in instalments a reward of 10,000. Mr Banks assimilated last year.

hair wig

Karzai overturns law that pot seats for women MPs

Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent and Jerome Starkey, Kabul & , : {}

President Karzai has since his choosing cronies the management to find new ways of stuffing womens seats in stirring parliamentary ballots, in a move that critics fright will eat away inherent safeguards written to pledge womanlike MPs.

A uneven direct released last week gave the Independent Election Commission, that ran the fake presidential polls in August, the right to reallocate seats indifferent for women in cases where there are not sufficient womanlike possibilities on the list sheets.

Under the existent law Afghan women are on trial dual seats per range in the reduce residence of parliament. The system, written after the fall of the Taleban to foster womens rights, guarantees women a sure series of seats on roughly each inaugurated body.

However, the decree, released last week, allows the Commission to find new ways of stuffing dull posts. If the vacancies can be filled by masculine possibilities afterwards the open to intimidation, pronounced a womens rights romantic in Kabul. Its in the mens interests to daunt women from standing. Women in open bureau already risk genocide threats.

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Mr Karzai faced critique for undermining womens rights to hoard regressive await prior to the choosing when he sealed in the Shia Muslim family law that authorised marital rape. It is thought that he might be attempting to seaside up the same regressive energy bottom in the parliamentary elections.

Western officials pronounced that the Presidents intentions could volume to a crack of the constitution.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, pronounced that Britain would conflict any bid by Mr Karzai to extent the series of women in parliament. Any idea that one sex of the Afghan race has less right than an additional to mount we would deplore, Mr Miliband said.

Few people have seen the direct and The Times was incompetent to endorse the wording.

Sir John Stanley, a comparison Conservative on the Foreign Affairs Committee, urged Mr Miliband to pledge womens rights or alternative human rights if deals were struck with the Taleban to finish the insurgency.

Mr Karzais direct led to debate at the week end since it removes the general infancy on the five-member Election Complaints Commission and allows Mr Karzai to name a new panel.

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Aaron Ramsey in great intoxicating beverage after abhorrence damage Arsenal

Tim Meston & , : {}

Aaron Ramsey is in "surprisingly great spirits" after his abhorrence damage at the weekend, according to John Toshack, the Wales manager.

The 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder underwent puncture surgery after his leg was damaged in dual places in a plea from Ryan Shawcross, the Stoke centre half, at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.

Ramsey has already been ruled out for the rest of the deteriorate but is approaching to be sidelined for majority longer. He should have been assembly up with the Wales patrol currently forward of an general accessible opposite Sweden on Wednesday.

"It is an horrific injury, it creates you wish to vomit," Toshack said. "It was a sad, hapless incident.

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"It is a blow for the player, the bar and us. All we can do is goal that he has a speedy, successful recovery, but it is going to be a prolonged one.

"The report we have got is that he is as gentle as can be approaching and he seemed in surprisingly decent intoxicating beverage when I spoke to him."

Ramsey, the former Cardiff City player, has played in an modernized midfield on all sides in Wales" majority new matches and Toshack was vehement about what he competence suggest in the Euro 2012 subordinate debate opposite England, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro.

Toshack admits he will right away have to delineate new plans. "Aaron has only softened immensely over the last 6 or 7 months," he said. "In the last integrate of games we felt as though we were on the right lines for him and for this to happen, from a greedy point of view, is a big blow for us. But the main thing is the player at this impulse in time."

Taleban self-murder bombers kill seventeen and harm thirty in Kabul attack

Jerome Starkey in Kabul & , : {}

A array of self-murder blasts in executive Kabul currently killed at slightest sixteen people and harmed some-more than 30.

A car explosve exploded on the corner of a large play ground only after 6.30am, destroying a singular level guesthouse renouned with Indian contractors.

Eyewitnesses pronounced the streets were forlorn as majority people were still defunct on the begin of the Afghan weekend, that is additionally piece of a eremite holiday.

Moments after witnesses pronounced there was a second blast followed by gunfire. Police and chosen conflicting terrorism infantry fought for some-more than 3 hours as rescuers one after another to swell bodies out of 4 wrecked buildings.

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The initial blast was the loudest, pronounced Ahmed Shah, 28. I ran outward and saw military lonesome with dust all over their faces. They told me to go inside.

Police pronounced 4 Indians, an Italian, a Frenchman and 3 Afghan military officers were killed in the explosions.

Italian diplomats reliable the inhabitant was operative with their embassy in Kabul. The Frenchman had been in Kabul less than twenty-four hours. Officials pronounced he had been operative on a "cultural co-operation" mission with the embassy.

Eyewitnesses pronounced military at conflicting ends of the travel appeared to be sharpened at each alternative in the disharmony after the blasts.

The receptive to advice of gunfire echoed by the streets as troops, heedful of secluded militants, privileged the buildings room by room.

The Taleban claimed shortcoming for the attacks. Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid pronounced a patrol of five people launched the attacks opposite dual hotels used by foreigners.

The nine-storey potion façade of an upmarket selling centre and road house formidable collapsed on to the street, whilst a 4 scale void noted the mark of the initial blast outward the Hamid Guesthouse.

Thick branches ripped from circuitously trees and the charred stays of a cars engine retard dirty the streets, as ambulances ferried the bleeding to circuitously hospitals.

US Marines, British explosve ordering experts and French soldiers arrived to consult the damage, whilst Afghan comprehension staff sifted by the waste for evidence.

The dry head of a self-murder bomber was installed in to an ambulance on a stretcher.

General Sayed Abdul Ghafour Sayedzada, the head of military intelligence, pronounced 3 military officers were killed by a self-murder bomber who they chased in to the Park Residence Guesthouse.

He pronounced an Italian inhabitant staying there was additionally killed by the explosion.

The Hamid Hotel and the Park Residence were both renouned with Indians. They were both less than half a kilometre from the Indian Embassy that has been regularly targeted in lethal self-murder attacks.

Afghan and US officials have indicted Pakistans comprehension use of impasse in prior attacks opposite the Indian Embassy.

The conflict appeared to be the greatest in the collateral given Taleban gunmen launched a contemptuous conflict on multiform targets in the centre of the city on Jan 18.

Doctors launch vital trials to provide childhood peanut allergy after earnest commander investigate Science The Guardian

Peanuts: flay of 4% of British schoolchildren. Photograph: David Burton/Beateworks/Corbis

Doctors are rising a vital clinical hearing in the poke for a long-term diagnosis for peanut allergy after young kids pang from the condition were treated with colour successfully for the initial time.

Researchers at Addenbrookes sanatorium in Cambridge will proceed the £1m government-funded immunotherapy hearing subsequent month after a commander investigate showed young kids who had a critical greeting to peanuts could be desensitised.

The care is the infancy earnest growth nonetheless in the poke for a long-term diagnosis for the allergy, that affects 4% of British schoolchildren.

Children who humour a greeting to peanuts can experience a obstruction of the airways, respirating trouble, asthma, prickly and swelling. Unlike a little alternative childhood allergies, peanut attraction frequency recedes with time. Around one in 10 reactions is serious.

The sanatorium has recruited 104 young kids who will be incidentally reserved to embrace the care or stick on a carry out organisation for 3 years. Children reception the care will be since a small volume of yoghurt with one milligram of peanut flour churned in each day. Over time, the apportion of peanut flour will be increasing to the homogeneous of five peanuts a day, a routine written to desensitize their defence systems to the nuts.

In the pilot, twenty-one of twenty-three young kids elderly 7 to seventeen were effectively desensitised to peanuts and were means to eat food containing the nuts but pang any reaction. Two of the young kids right away usually take the yoghurt with peanut flour once a week to say their tolerance.

"This is going to be the largest hearing of the kind in the universe and it should give us a decisive thought of either it functions and either it"s safe," pronounced Andrew Clark, a expert in paediatric allergy at the hospital.

Food allergy is obliged for the infancy of anaphylactic shock in young kids and has increasing by 20% in horse opera countries in the past 10 years.

Families concerned in the commander pronounced the care altered their lives. "It"s dramatic," pronounced Clark. "Before they were checking each food tag each time they ate food. They would be concerned it would means a greeting or even kill them, but right away they can go out and eat curries and Chinese food and they can eat bland snacks and treats.

"For their birthday they can have chocolate baked sweat bread and chocolates but any fright of reactions. Our genuine proclivity is to try to rise this as a clinical diagnosis that we could widespread to the rest of the country," Clark told the American Association for the Advancement of Science assembly in San Diego.

Researchers pronounced young kids might need to embrace the immunotherapy for dual to 3 years, after that it might be probable for them to stop but losing their tolerance."

Clark pronounced the care was at the investigate theatre and compulsory complete clinical slip to safeguard it was safe. "It contingency not be attempted at home outward the investigate setting," he said.

A prior hearing in the 1990s, that used injections rather than used up peanut flour, constructed critical side effects.