mexicans tracking unhappy juninho mexican outfit red sharks veracruz hope to sign juninho if the brazilian decides to leave celtic frustrated at his lack of first-team action.  their president  gustavo parente sanchez  says juninho  does not wish to remain in scottish football anymore . agent brian hassell insists that the 31-year-old brazilian midfielder is determined to win back his place.  but  if the manager is not going to pick him  that s a different ball game   he told the sun.  that s something we d have to look at. juninho deserves respect. he is not a little kid.  hassell warns that juninho could reconsider his future at celtic unless he is given a run of games by the end of the january transfer window.  juninho was signed from middlesbrough during the summer  but he has failed to live up to high expectations and has lost his place to 18-year-old aiden mcgeady.  he has 50 caps for brazil and he s the best signing celtic ever made   insisted hassell.  he wants to play for martin o neill  but does martin o neill want to play him   juninho is not someone who has come through the celtic ranks. he deserves much more respect.  sanchez is bullish about his hopes of prising juninho from the scottish champions  although hassell believes mexico would not be his preferred destination.  we have already spoken with juninho and he said  if he has no firm offer from a club in spain  veracruz will be his destination   sanchez told his club s official website. celtic manager o neill is no respecter of reputations.  the onus is on juninho to force his way into the team   he said.  players get a game on merit. that s the way it has always been and that is certainly the case at celtic park.


kraft cuts snack ads for children kraft plans to cut back on advertising of products like oreo cookies and sugary kool-aid drinks as part of an effort to promote healthy eating.  the largest us food maker will also add a label to its more nutritional and low-fat brands to promote the benefits. kraft rival pepsico began a similar labelling initiative last year. the moves come as the firms face criticism from consumer groups concerned at rising levels of obesity in us children. major food manufacturers have recently been reformulating the content of some calorie-heavy products.  kraft s new advertising policy  which covers advertising on tv  radio and in print publications  is aimed at children between the ages of six and 11. it means commercials for some of its most famous snacks and cereals shown during early morning cartoon shows on tv will now be replaced by food and drink qualifying for kraft s new  sensible solution  label. but the firm said it would continue to advertise all its products in media seen by parents and  all family  audiences.  we re working on ways to encourage both adults and children to eat wisely by selecting more nutritionally balanced diets   said lance friedmann  kraft senior vice president.


uk needs tax cuts  tories insist a major change of direction is needed in britain if it is to prosper  the shadow chancellor said as the tory party spring conference began.  oliver letwin said the uk could not compete with other countries without the £4bn tax cuts he was promising. tory co-chairman liam fox had opened the forum in brighton with an attack on labour s record and party leader michael howard is due to speak later. tony blair has said conservative policies would cause economic failure. but mr letwin said britain had fallen from fourth to 11th in the international economic competitiveness league.   can this country compete  can this country prosper  unless we do something about the burden of regulation and tax on our economy   he said.  if we are going to take on the great challenges  the challenges like those posed by the chinese and the indians  we have got to do something about getting down the burden of regulation and getting down the burden of tax   he said.  the fact is the very carefully costed  fully funded plans we have laid out for saving £12bn by 2007-2008 are absolutely crucial to delivering an economy that will prosper and provide people with jobs and indeed provide the public services with the money they need on a sustainable long-term basis.  mr letwin said voting for labour meant choosing higher taxes  borrowing and waste.  earlier  dr fox had said labour s rule had been characterised by  lost trust and failure to deliver . he also attacked the government s  failure  to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the nhs  telling delegates labour cannot be trusted on education or crime. a tory government would sort out the  shambles  of immigration  put patients before statistics and bring discipline to schools  he said. michael howard  who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on friday  will address them in a lunchtime speech. his welcome address had to be postponed after he stayed in london to lead the party s opposition to the prevention of terrorism bill in its lengthy progress through parliament. the bill was finally passed on friday evening  after more than 30 hours of debate. mr howard is likely to defend his party s handling of the bill  which was only passed after the conservatives accepted prime minister tony blair s promise that mps would be able to review it within a year.


berlin celebrates european cinema organisers say this year s berlin film festival  which opens on thursday with period epic man to man  will celebrate a revitalised european cinema.  of the 21 films in competition for the golden and silver bear awards  more than half are from europe with france particularly well represented. festival director dieter kosslick says this strong showing signals  a new consciousness for european films .  they re on an incredible winning streak   he told the reuters agency.  this isn t to say there aren t any good american films   he continued.  it s just that there are more good european films.   however  mr kosslick refused to accept that widespread opposition to the iraq war had turned audiences against hollywood imports.  there is no anti-american mood   he said. some 350 films will be screened at this year s festival  with a further 300 shown at the european film market that runs alongside it. more than a dozen celebrities are scheduled to attend  among them will smith  kevin spacey and keanu reeves. but mr kosslick says more would be coming had the academy awards not been brought forward to 27 february.  i m not worried that we won t be able to fill the red carpet with stars   he said  though he admitted the festival may be moved to january next year to avoid a similar clash. the 10-day berlinale runs until 20 february.


old firm pair handed suspensions celtic s henri camara and nacho novo of rangers have both been suspended for offences missed by the referee in a recent old firm game.  both were given automatic one-match bans and 12 additional disciplinary points for their actions. that means novo will miss a further two games because of his prior record. camara will miss one additional game. novo was found guilty of stamping on celtic s stephen pearson. camara was punished for kicking gregory vignal.  i m extremely disappointed. i don t know if there s a lot to add to that   said rangers manager alex mcleish of novo s punishment.  but what i will say is that i m at a loss as to why that incident should be picked up and highlighted when there were so many other incidents during the game.  both players will miss this weekend s games when celtic host dundee united and rangers visit kilmarnock unless they decide to appeal.  the additional bans come into effect from 28 december meaning camara will also be unavailable for the home game against livingston while novo will miss the meetings with dundee united and dunfermline. an sfa spokesman said:  they have seven days to appeal but with matches coming along at the weekend they would need to do so before friday.  but if they do appeal it won t be heard before this weekend because it takes a bit of time to seat up an appeals tribunal.  meanwhile  bob malcolm and rangers have been informed by letter as to the outcome of the hearing regarding his reaction to rangers being awarded a penalty in the same game. malcolm  a substitute on the day  was taken from the rangers dug-out and spoken to by police about an alleged gesture he made. but the sfa would not detail what  if any  punishment malcolm would receive.  once rangers receive our letter we will be in a position to make a comment on the findings   added the spokesman.


dogged federer claims dubai crown world number one roger federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes - but not before he was given a test by ivan ljubicic.  top seed federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6-1 in the first set. but ljubicic  who beat tim henman in the last eight  dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak. swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool  though  turning on the style to win the deciding set 6-3. the match was a re-run of last week s final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam  where federer triumphed  but not until ljubicic had stretched him all the way.  i really wanted to get off to a good start this time  and i did  and i could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm   federer said.   that took me all the way through to 6-1 3-1 0-30 on his serve and i almost ran away with it. but he came back  and that was a good effort on his side.  ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set.  i didn t start badly  but then suddenly i felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much. and with roger  if you relax for a second it just goes very quick   he said.  after those first three games it was no match at all. i don t know  it was really weird. i was playing really well the whole year  and then suddenly i found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court.  but despite his defeat  the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance.  i had a chance in the third  and for me it s really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against roger to win the match.  it s an absolutely great boost to my confidence that i m up there and belong with top-class players.


taylor poised for scotland return simon taylor has been named in the scotland squad for saturday s six nations clash with italy.  the 25-year-old number eight made a scoring return for edinburgh at the weekend - his first game in a year for the capital side. taylor suffered knee ligament damage playing against ireland in dublin in the 2004 six nations championship.  simon is one of scotland s truly world class players so it is a huge bonus   said team-mate chris paterson.  he brings a whole new dimension to us  especially in defence and his ability to slow the opposition ball down could be key against italy if he is involved.  taylor has turned out for english side saracens in recent weeks during a short-term loan to improve his fitness.  edinburgh were not in action during the first two weeks of this season s six nations. so taylor played the last 20 minutes of saracens  win over northampton and then 40 minutes in a friendly against south african super 12 side the cats. scotland coach matt williams is due to name his match-day 22 on thursday. both scotland and italy have lost their opening two six nations games and  just like last season s encounter which italy won  this weekend s game could turn out to be a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.  - m blair (edinburgh)  a craig (glasgow)  c cusiter (borders)  s danielli (borders)  m di rollo (edinburgh)  a henderson (glasgow)  b hinshelwood (worcester)  r lamont (glasgow)  s lamont (glasgow)  d parks (glasgow)  c paterson (edinburgh)  g ross (leeds)  h southwell (edinburgh)  s webster (edinburgh)  - r beattie (northampton)  g bulloch (glasgow  capt)  b douglas (borders)  j dunbar (leeds)  i fullarton (saracens)  s grimes (newcastle)  n hines (edinburgh)  a hogg (edinburgh)  g kerr (leeds)  n lloyd (saracens)  s murray (edinburgh)  j petrie (glasgow)  r russell (london irish)  c smith (edinburgh)  t smith (northampton)  s taylor (edinburgh)  j white (sale).


us in eu tariff chaos trade row the us has asked the world trade organisation to investigate european union customs tariffs  which it says are inconsistent and hamper trade.  the eu s own institutions have noted the uneven way eu customs rules are applied but failed to act  the us trade representative s office said. small and mid-sized us firms were worst-hit  it added. the eu expanded from 15 to 25 member states in may. the us said it filed the complaint after talks failed to find a solution.  the move came in the same week that the us and eu stepped back from confrontation in a tense dispute over aircraft subsidies to european manufacturer airbus and us firm boeing. new eu trade commissioner peter mandelson said on tuesday that the two sides had agreed to reopen talks in the aircraft subsidies row  which led to tit-for-tat wto filings in last autumn.  explaining why it has asked the wto to set up a dispute settlement panel on customs barriers  the us trade representative s office said that it wants to tackle the issue  early in the eu s process of dealing with the problems of enlargement . ten countries  mostly in eastern europe  joined the eu in may. the us said its trade with the 25 eu member countries was worth $155.2bn (£82.8bn) in 2003.  although the eu is a customs union  there is no single eu customs administration   a statement issued on behalf of robert zoellick  us trade representative  said. lack of uniformity  coupled with lack of procedures for prompt eu-wide review can hinder us exports  especially for small to mid-sized businesses   an eu spokesman in washington dismissed the us complaint.  we think the us case is very weak. they haven t come up with any evidence that us companies are being harmed   said anthony gooch. it could take several months for the wto s dispute settlement panel to report its findings.


record fails to lift lacklustre meet yelena isinbayeva may have produced another world pole vault record  but her achievement could not hide the fact it was not the best meet we have ever seen in birmingham.  and hey  there are not many meets that go by without the russian breaking a world record.  apparently  isinbayeva has cleared five metres in training and i would just love her to put us out of our misery and have a go at it rather than extending the indoor record by one centimetre at a time. athletics to me is all about pushing the barriers and being the best you can  and i would like to see her have a go at 5m in competition. mind you  every time she breaks the record she gets $30 000 so she can afford to be deliberate about it. world records aside  i thought it was a very encouraging evening s work for kelly holmes. she looked good and was very positive. agnes samaria  who came second  is in very good shape and is in the world s top three 800m runners this season. yes  samaria let kelly get away  but there was no coming back over the last 200m as kelly dominated the race  so beating samaria is a bit of a benchmark for kelly. my gut feeling is that kelly would like to run in the european indoor championships  but she just hasn t convinced herself she is fit enough to do so. on the other hand  i think jason gardener is struggling to come near what is going to be required to win the men s 60m in madrid. he started well in the final but still could not stay with the front-runners. jason has a lot of experience indoors but for some reason he is struggling to maintain his pace through to the finish.  it would have been nice to see what mark lewis-francis could have done in the final  if only he hadn t got himself disqualified. he was blatantly playing the false-start game to his advantage  but it tripped him up and made him look a bit silly. my view is you re meant to go when the gun goes and not before. and if you try to unsettle your rivals by employing the false-start tactic you have to remember not to false start yourself again. having said that  mark is looking in much better shape. but i haven t seen anything from mark or jason yet which suggests france s ronald pognon - who has run 6.45 seconds - will be under threat at the europeans. from a british point of view  sarah claxton s victory in the 60m hurdles was the best thing to come out of the meet.  something else that probably went unnoticed was melanie purkiss winning the women s national 400m race in a new personal best of 52.98 seconds. aaas champion kim wall came second in another lifetime best so we have a very strong 4x400m squad going to the european championships. scotland s lee mcconnell is probably going to run too  so we have a real prospect of a medal. from an international perspective  i thought meseret defar was disappointing in the 3 000m  but i don t think the pace-making was great. canadian heather hennigar set a fast early pace but could not maintain it and if jo pavey had been in last year s shape she would have given defar a real run for her money. she had a go but just could not hang in there. we were also expecting a bit more from bernard lagat in the men s 1500m. but he has only just come over from the usa  so he may not be that sharp and i still think he is in great shape. as for kenenisa bekele  he was well beaten by markos geneti. but we only had half expectations for bekele as he has been struggling this season. it was very hot in the national indoor arena and i felt uncomfortable in the commentary box. i think those conditions affected the distance runners and in fact defar complained to her coach after the race that she could not get her breath properly.


dvd review: i  robot only one man recognises that robots are a threat to humanity - but that s fine because it only takes one man to save the day in the thriller i  robot.  will smith co-stars alongside more cgi robots than you can count and as a thrill-a-minute kind of action film  it s perfectly adequate. you ll have forgotten it all tomorrow but you ll have a fun night with the film and all the extras. there is a one-disc version that has commentaries and a making of but the two-disc adds more. unusually for this kind of film  the extras don t solely concentrate on the special effects. they re covered but there s also a general production diary and a post-production feature.  remember the national lottery s draw machines arthur and guinevere  they were more accurate than this glossy hollywood version of the tale.  but as long as you re not expecting a documentary  live with it: king arthur is a fun  exciting  totally shallow experience and looks excellent. clive owen is the brooding king  keira knightly rises above her costume and ray winstone gives it all some grit. it s at its best in its battle scenes which are well done and are also the best part of the making of extra.  less flashy than a david attenborough show and less detailed than a simon schama one  the bbc series british isles nevertheless turned out to be quite engrossing. admit it  the fact that this is one of the shows alan titchmarsh left ground force to present did mean that you expected something equally frothy. but titchmarsh turns out to know his subject and the sight of our present-day landscape being peeled back to reveal the past was fascinating. he s now written an accompanying book  too.


games win for blu-ray dvd format the next-generation dvd format blu-ray is winning more supporters than its rival  according to its backers.  blu-ray  backed by 100 firms including sony  is competing against toshiba and nec-backed hd-dvd to be the format of choice for future films and games. the blu-ray association said on thursday that games giants electronic arts and vivendi would both support its dvd format. the next generation of dvds will hold high-definition video and sound. this offers incredible 3d-like quality of pictures which major hollywood studios and games publishers are extremely keen to exploit in the coming year. in a separate press conference at the consumer electronics show in las vegas  toshiba announced that dvd players for its technology would be on the market by the end of 2005.   as we move from standard definition video images to high-definition images  we have a much greater need for storage   richard doherty  from panasonic s hollywood laboratories  one of the pioneers of blu-ray  told the bbc news website.  so by utilising blue laser-based technology we can make an optical laser disc that can hold six times as much as today s dvd.  a blu-ray disc will be able to store 50gb of high-quality data  while toshiba s hd-dvd will hold 30gb. mr doherty added that it was making sure the discs could satisfy all high-definition needs  including the ability to record onto the dvds and smaller discs to fit into camcorders. both toshiba and blu-ray are hopeful that the emerging dvd format war  akin to the betamax and vhs fight in the 1980s  can be resolved over the next year when next-generation dvd players start to come out. when players do come out  they will be able to play standard dvds too  which is good news for those who have huge libraries of current dvds.  but the support from vivendi and electronics arts is a big boost to blu-ray in the battle for supremacy.  gaming is a $20 billion industry worldwide  so is as crucial as the film industry in terms of money to be made.  the technical requirement for game development today demands more advanced optical-disc technologies   said michael heilmann  chief technology officer for vivendi universal.  blu-ray offers the capacity  performance and high-speed internet connectivity to take us into the future of gaming.  ea  a leading games developer and publisher  added that the delivery of high-definition games of the future was vital and blu-ray had the capacity  functionality and interactivity needed for the kinds of projects it was planning. sony recently announced it would be using the technology in its next generation of playstations. mr doherty said gamers were  ravenous  for high-quality graphics and technology for the next generation of titles.  gamers  especially those working on pcs  are always focused on more capacity to deliver textures  deeper levels  for delivering higher-resolution playback.   he added:  the focus for games moving forward on increased immersion.   gaming companies really like to focus on creating a world which involves creating complicated 3d models and textures and increasing the resolution  increasing the frame rate - all of these are part of getting a more immersive experience.  fitting these models on current dvd technologies means compressing the graphics so much that much of this quality is lost. as games move to more photo-real capability  the current technology is limiting.  they are thrilled at the advanced capacity to start to build these immersive environments   said mr doherty. currently  graphics-intensive pc games also require multiple discs for installation. high-definition dvds will cut down on that need. likewise  consoles rely on single discs  so dvds that can hold six times more data mean much better  high-resolution games. blu-ray has already won backing from major hollywood studios  such as mgm studios  disney  and buena vista  as well as top technology firms like dell  lg  samsung and phillips amongst others. while toshiba s hd-dvd technology has won backing from paramount  universal and warner bros.  the real world benefits (of hd-dvd) are apparent and obvious   said jim cardwell  president of warner home video. mr cardwell added that rapid time to market and dependability were significant factors in choosing to go with hd-dvd. both formats are courting microsoft to be the format of choice for the next generation xbox  but discussions are still on-going. next generation dvds will also be able to store images and other data. ces is the largest consumer electronics show in the world  and runs from 6 to 9 january.


sony psp tipped as a  must-have  sony s playstation portable is the top uk gadget for 2005  according to a round-up of ultimate gizmos compiled by stuff magazine.  it beats the ipod into second place in the top ten essentials list which predicts what gadget-lovers are likely to covet this year. owning all 10 gadgets will set the gadget lover back £7 455. that is £1 000 cheaper than last year s list due to falling manufacturing costs making gadgets more affordable.  portable gadgets dominate the list  including sharp s 902 3g mobile phone  the pentax optio sv digital camera and samsung s yepp yh-999 video jukebox.   what this year s essentials shows is that gadgets are now cheaper  sexier and more indispensable than ever. we ve got to the point where we can t live our lives without certain technology   said adam vaughan  editor of stuff essentials. the proliferation of gadgets in our homes is inexorably altering the role of the high street in our lives thinks mr vaughan.  take digital cameras  who would now pay to develop an entire film of photos  or legitimate downloads  who would travel miles to a record shop when they could download the song in minutes for 70p   he asks. next year will see a new set of technologies capturing the imaginations of gadget lovers  stuff predicts. the xbox 2  high-definition tv and mp3 mobiles will be among the list of must-haves that will dominate 2006  it says. the spring launch of the psp in the uk is eagerly awaited by gaming fans.


angry williams rejects criticism serena williams has angrily rejected claims that she and sister venus are a declining force in tennis.  the sisters ended last year without a grand slam title for the first time since 1998. but serena denied their challenge was fading  saying:  that s not fair - i m tired of not saying anything.  we ve been practising hard. we ve had serious injuries. i ve had surgery and after  i got to the wimbledon final. i don t know many who have done that.  while serena is through to the australian open semi-finals  venus went out in the fourth round  meaning she has not gone further than the last eight in her last five grand slam appearances. but serena added:  venus had a severe strain in her stomach. i actually had the same injury  but i didn t tear it the way she did.   if i would have torn it  i wouldn t have been here.  she played a player (alicia molik) that just played out of her mind and venus made some errors that she probably shouldn t have made.  serena also said people tended to forget the impact the 2003 murder of sister yetunde price had had on the family.  to top it off  we have a very  very  very  very  very close family  serena continued.  to be in some situation that we ve been placed in in the past little over a year  it s not easy to come out and just perform at your best when you realize there are so many things that are so important.  so  no  we re not declining. we re here. i don t have to win this tournament to prove anything. i know that i m out here and i know that i m one of the best players out here.


choose hope over fear - kennedy voters will have a clear choice between the politics of fear and the politics of hope in the next general election  said charles kennedy.  in his new year message the liberal democrat leader said labour and the conservatives were united in relying on fear and  populist scares . he said his party was the one of hope and was ready for a 2005 poll. on the asian tsunami he said it had been  very heartening  to learn of the generosity being shown by britons. mr kennedy said his thoughts were with all those caught up in the disaster  which had dominated the christmas and new year period. at home he said many people were turning to the liberal democrats as they became disheartened with the politics of the other two main parties.  the general election would be a three-party struggle  as the conservative party  fades away  as a national force and the liberal democrats challenge labour in its heartlands  he said.  a clear division is emerging in british politics - the politics of fear versus the politics of hope.  labour is counting on the politics of fear  ratcheting up talk of threats  crime and insecurity. while the conservatives are re-working their populist scares about asylum and the european  menace    he said. he said the government was using this climate of fear to try to strip away civil liberties.  it was already using detention without trial at belmarsh prison  ignoring a recent law lords judgement that this contravenes basic human rights  he said. he also criticised attempts to bring in trial without jury  plans to lower the burden of proof in some criminal trials  curbing of rights to protest  increased stop and search powers and id card plans. he said while everyone had the right to be secure they also had the right to be protected against unfair discrimination.  but at the same time  an overmighty state is a dangerous one   he said. his party  instinctively  understood the  new liberal britain  which is no longer a nation with one family structure  and one colour  he said.  we are less deferential; more inclined to think for ourselves; more open about sexuality and equality.  our national institutions are changing too. we are no longer a nation of one church; we are a nation of many faiths. in our attitudes and the way we live our lives  this is in many ways a liberal britain.


councils  must find gypsy sites  ministers are telling councils to find more sites for travellers  amid continuing rows concerning a string of unauthorised encampments.  councils are also to be given stronger powers to move on illegal settlements by gypsy communities on rural land. more money is to be given to councils to develop official caravan parks  said housing minister yvette cooper. in november  mps urged ministers to make councils create sites because 3 500 travellers have no place to stop. ms cooper said an annual scheme to refurbish existing traveller sites would now be extended to consider council bids for new stopping places. that scheme has paid out £25m in four years  with £8m available for 2005.   there are two major problems in the planning system at the moment concerning gypsy and traveller sites   said ms cooper.  firstly  local authorities are not identifying enough appropriate locations either for private or public sites. and secondly  they do not have enough powers to deal swiftly with development on inappropriate sites.  the result is that there are too many developments on inappropriate sites  causing tensions and difficulties for both the neighbouring communities and the gypsies and travellers.  that is why we are consulting on a new obligation on local authorities to identify more appropriate sites  as well as new powers to take immediate action if the development is in the wrong place and cannot be tolerated in even the short-term because of risk to local amenity and the environment.  under the new regulations  expected to be in force in the spring  officials will be able to serve  temporary stop notices  aimed at preventing works on a site before a council has had chance to obtain a full legal ban. many mps with rural constituencies  particularly in eastern england  have been pressing the government to create stronger enforcement powers  saying villagers are suffering because of the legal delays in removing illegal encampments.  andrew ryder  of the traveller law reform coalition  said:  we welcome talk about an obligation on councils to identify land for gypsies and travellers  so long as it is a real obligation as opposed to a recommendation which could be and was easily ignored.  new accommodation proposals for travellers need to be backed up with decent funding and intervention by the government when councils attempt to dodge their responsibilities towards travellers  as they often do.  living on the side of the road or being worn down by planning appeals  legal action and eviction is no one s idea of fun.  in their november report  mps from the committee scrutinising the office for the deputy prime minister  responsible for housing  said most illegal traveller encampments were caused by a lack of places to stop. numerous communities and councils were paying for lengthy and expensive evictions against travelling communities  said the mps. in turn  the problems had worsened because councils were reluctant to voluntarily provide sites because of resistance from residents. two of the most controversial traveller sites - cottenham in cambridgeshire and minety in wiltshire - remain embroiled in an ongoing legal battle.


speech takes on search engines a scottish firm is looking to attract web surfers with a search engine that reads out results.  called speegle  it has the look and feel of a normal search engine  with the added feature of being able to read out the results. scottish speech technology firm cec systems launched the site in november. but experts have questioned whether talking search engines are of any real benefit to people with visual impairments.  the edinburgh-based firm cec has married speech technology with ever-popular internet search. the ability to search is becoming increasingly crucial to surfers baffled by the huge amount of information available on the web.  according to search engine ask jeeves  around 80% of surfers visit search engines as their first port of call on the net. people visiting speegle can select one of three voices to read the results of a query or summarise news stories from sources such as the bbc and reuters.  it is still a bit robotic and can make a few mistakes but we are never going to have completely natural sounding voices and it is not bad   said speegle founder gordon renton.  the system is ideal for people with blurred vision or for those that just want to search for something in the background while they do something else.  we are not saying that it will be suitable for totally blind people  although the royal national institute of the blind (rnib) is looking at the technology   he added. but julie howell  digital policy manager at the rnib  expressed doubts over whether speegle and similar sites added anything to blind people s experience of the web.  there are a whole lot of options like this springing up on the web and one has to think carefully about what the market is going to be   she said.  blind people have specialised screen readers available to them which will do the job these technologies do in a more sophisticated way   she added.  the site uses a technology dubbed panavox  which takes web text and converts it into synthesised speech. in the past speech technology has only been compatible with broadband because of the huge files it downloads but cec says its compression technology means it will also work on slower dial-up connections. visitors to speegle may notice that the look and feel of the site bears more than a passing resemblance to the better known  if silent  search engine google. google has no connection with speegle and the use of bright colours is simply to make the site more visible for those with visual impairments  said mr renton.  it is not a rip-off. we are doing something that google does not do and is not planning to do and there is truth in the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery   he said. speegle is proving popular with those learning english in countries such as japan and china.  the site is bombarded by people just listening to the words. the repetition could be useful although they may all end up talking like robots   said mr renton.


cheaper chip for mobiles a mobile phone chip which combines a modem and a computer processor on one bit of silicon instead of two could make phones cheaper and more powerful.  the specially-designed chip  developed by texas instruments  could drive down the cost of making mobiles capable of 3d gaming and 30-frame-a-second video. currently  rich multimedia features tend to be on more expensive handsets. the technology  omap-vox  is being tested by firms in europe and asia and could appear by the end of the year. texas  which makes computer chips for more than half the world s mobile phones  said it was keen to make multimedia functions like video and gaming more affordable.  we re going to drive them down into meat-and-potatoes phones that have the largest market share   said doug rasor  a marketing vice president at texas. the chip also uses much less power than conventional chips  said texas  which means less strain on mobile battery life.  more than 50 million people own a mobile in the uk  but mobile operators are keen to encourage people to move onto more sophisticated handsets that can do more. texas is keen to cash in on the third generation (3g) of mobile technology  which offers high-speed networks for video streaming and other multimedia functions. but it faces stiff competition from the likes of intel which is also looking to provide better chips for high-end mobiles.  competition to get people using 3g mobiles will grow in the next year as almost all of the uk s operators have now launched third generation networks. a recent survey by sony ericsson predicted that the number of 3g handsets sold in 2005 would double from 2004 to account for 10% of all phones sold. many consumers are still to be convinced though. a further recent survey said that only 4% of mobile owners were thinking of upgrading to 3g phones. many said they were confused about the different ways to pay for phones and the vast array of features most have onboard.  but there will be continued demand for better chips as the industry continues to develop new standards and future networks. earlier in january  ntt docomo and vodafone joined forces to develop the next generation of high-speed networks  known as  super 3g   intended to be 10 times faster than 3g services. the first stage of development is to be completed by 2007  but no date has been set for a commercial launch the newly-designed omap-vox chip set was announced ahead of the start of a major mobile industry conference  3gsm  which takes place in cannes  france this week.


short attacks us over tsunami aid former cabinet minister clare short has criticised the us-led tsunami aid coalition  saying the un should be leading efforts.  president bush has announced that an alliance of the us  india  australia and japan will co-ordinate a humanitarian drive. but ms short said the effect of the parallel coalition would be to undermine the un. she said only the un had the  moral authority  to lead the relief work. ms short resigned as international development secretary over the iraq war.  i think this initiative from america to set up four countries claiming to co-ordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the un when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up   she said.  only really the un can do that job   she told bbc radio four s pm programme.  it is the only body that has the moral authority. but it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers.  ms short said the countries involved could not boast good records on their response to major disasters. the us was  very bad at coordinating with anyone  and india had its own problems  ms short said.  i don t know what that is about but it sounds very much  i am afraid  like the us trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the un system   she added.


electrolux to export europe jobs electrolux saw its shares rise 14% on tuesday after it said it would be shifting more of its manufacturing to low-cost countries.  the swedish firm  the world s largest maker of home appliances  said it is to relocate about 10 of its 27 plants in western europe and north america. it did not say which facilities would be affected  but intends moving them to asia  eastern europe and mexico. the company has two manufacturing sites in county durham. it makes lawn and garden products in newton aycliffe  and cookers and ovens in spennymoor. the newton aycliffe plant could also be affected by electrolux s separate announcement that it is to spin-off its outdoor products unit into a new separate company.  electrolux s subsidiary brands include aeg  zanussi and frigidaire. the company said it was speeding up its restructuring programme  which aims to save between £190m and £265m annually from 2009.  we see that about half the plants in high-cost countries - that is around 10 - are at risk   said electrolux chief executive hans straberg.  it looks pretty grim   said swedish trades union official ulf carlsson.  what are we going to end up producing in sweden


minister defends hunting ban law the law banning hunting with dogs in england and wales is enforceable and  very clear   alun michael has said.  the rural affairs minister said it would become obvious if people flouted the law  which came into force on friday  and pretended they were not. some 270 hunts met legally on saturday killing a total of 91 foxes - only four were accidentally killed by hounds. but anti-hunt campaigners said there had been widespread intimidation of activists monitoring hunts. countryside alliance chairman john jackson said that saturday had been a  massive demonstration by the rural community of support for hunting . people had turned out  to show en masse that the hunting act was a bad law   he said adding that foxes and other animals had been killed  legally  as far as he was aware.  although hunting with dogs is now a criminal offence  exercising hounds  chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be shot are still legal. addressing claims that the new law was unenforceable  mr michael told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  there has been a lot of spin about this by those that support hunting.  the reality is that the law is very clear. you can t chase wild mammals with a pack of dogs  whether the wild mammal is a fox or a deer.  if people do so and pretend they re not it s going to become very clear. you can t hunt accidentally.  mr michael also denied the hunting ban had led to a breakdown of trust between the government and rural communities. he said most people living in the countryside were more concerned with issues like the economy  the health service and their children s future than hunting.  but the league against cruel sports claimed the new act had been broken even though the numbers of foxes killed had fallen. thousands of hunt supporters turned out at 270 hunts across england and wales on the first day of the ban  with anti-hunt groups sending out 100 monitors to check the law was not being broken. there were only four arrests - over alleged hunting of hares in wiltshire - although it was not clear whether they were made under the hunting act.  they have been released on bail but police say they may face prosecution under new poaching laws. but penny little  who monitored the bicester hunt in oxfordshire  said she had witnessed  gratuitous  spiteful killing of foxes . if people tried to  run circles around this law  the only outcome would be that it was tightened up  she said. mike hobday  from the league against cruel sports  said video evidence of the law being broken would be passed onto police. he said intimidation seemed to have been widespread and called on hunts to do more to stop their supporters intimidating anti-hunt activists videoing hunts. but mr jackson  who had been at the bicester hunt in oxfordshire  denied there was any intimidation.


actor scott is new bond favourite bookmaker william hill has stopped taking bets on who will be the next james bond  following a succession of large wagers on actor dougray scott.  the firm closed the book on friday  saying  insider information  could have contributed to the number of bets.  in the past gambles like this have often been right   william hill spokesman rupert adams said. the closing list gave scott odds of 6-9  followed by oscar nominee clive owen at 5-2. scott first found fame in the tv series soldier soldier and has since then starred in such films as mission impossible ii and the wartime drama enigma.  mr adams said one punter had placed a bet of £870 on the 39-year-old actor at odds of 8-1.  she told us she had some inside information  perhaps she knew he had been to a casting  but she wouldn t say   he said. others thought to be in the running include star wars actor ewan mcgregor and australian star hugh jackman  both of whom have odds of 4-1. colin farrell  jude law and troy star eric bana have also been tipped for the role in the past.  a large number of bets on actor colin salmon to become the first black james bond were dismissed as a publicity stunt a month ago. the next bond film  originally due for release in 2005  has been delayed until 2006 due to sony s takeover of the mgm studio. the most recent  die another day  was released in late 2002 and saw pierce brosnan make his final appearance as the secret agent. the actor was originally due to make a fifth appearance as bond  but was released from his contract in 2004.


kilroy unveils immigration policy ex-chatshow host robert kilroy-silk has attacked uk policy on immigration saying britain s open door approach is hitting low wage  indigenous  workers.  the veritas leader said the only people to benefit from immigrants from places like poland were employers  landlords  members of the  metropolitan elite . the mep said his party would only admit foreigners who were required because they had specific skills to offer. and he argued asylum cost £2bn a year for 14 000 successful applicants.  mr kilroy-silk said that worked out at £143 000 per successful asylum seeker. he said veritas wanted to grant an amnesty for all those in britain claiming asylum and who have children and deport everyone else. britain should take its fair share of asylum seekers under the united nations convention on human rights  he argued. and mr kilroy-silk said he wanted to spend an extra £500m a year to help provide for refugees abroad.


mps issued with blackberry threat mps will be thrown out of the commons if they use blackberries in the chamber speaker michael martin has ruled.  the £200 handheld computers can be used as a phone  pager or to send e-mails. the devices gained new prominence this week after alastair campbell used his to accidentally send an expletive-laden message to a newsnight journalist. mr martin revealed some mps had been using their blackberries during debates and he also cautioned members against using hidden earpieces.  the use of electronic devices in the commons chamber has long been frowned on. the sound of a mobile phone or a pager can result in a strong rebuke from either the speaker or his deputies. the speaker chairs debates in the commons and is charged with ensuring order in the chamber and enforcing rules and conventions of the house. he or she is always an mp chosen by colleagues who  once nominated  gives up all party political allegiances.


moya fights back for indian title carlos moya became the first man to successfully defend the chennai open title by beating four-times finalist paradorn srichaphan 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7/5).  the spaniard then donated his £28 000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the asian tsunami. the final was close throughout  with thai second seed srichaphan - the 2003 winner - closing out the first set. but moya took the second set  before bouncing back from 5-2 down in the decider to force and win a tie-break. moya confirmed afterwards:  i m donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims  hoping it makes some difference to their lives. his contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament  which went ahead after the 26 december disaster which has so far claimed at least 150 000 lives. scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in thailand  where more than 5 000 people were killed. the atp has announced that it would contribute the us$25 000 tournament fee to unicef s emergency relief fund in tamil nadu. the atp tour s sponsor  mercedes  said it would also contribute  increasing the atp donation to us$40 000.


britain boosted by holmes double athletics fans endured a year of mixed emotions in 2004 as stunning victories went hand-in-hand with disappointing defeats and more drugs scandals.  kelly holmes finally fulfilled her potential by storming to double gold on the track at the olympic games. holmes helped erase the gloom hanging over team gb after their biggest medal hope  paula radcliffe  dropped out of the marathon and then the 10 000m. britain s men s 4x100m relay team also did their bit by taking a shock gold. holmes had started the year in disappointing style  falling over in the final of 1500m at the world indoor championships where she was favourite. her olympic build-up was clouded by self doubt but that proved unfounded as she overhauled rival maria mutola to win the 800m - her first global title. just five days later  the 34-year-old made it double gold in the 1500m. it was the first time in 84 years a briton has achieved the olympic middle-distance double. while holmes left athens as the star of team gb  it was radcliffe who carried expectations before the august games.  the 30-year-old marathon world record holder went into the athens event as favourite but an exhausted radcliffe dropped out after 23 miles in tears. her decision to enter the 10 000m five days later also backfired as she again pulled out with eight laps remaining.  but radcliffe helped put her olympic trauma behind her with a thrilling win in november s new york marathon. the 4x100m team grabbed some last-gasp glory for the british men s olympic squad after a poor start to the games.  it seemed as though athens would be the first games where the men would fail to win a medal with michael east the only individual track finalist in the 1500m. but darren campell  jason gardener  marlon devonish and mark lewis-francis made amends in the sprint relay. the quartet held off favourites the usa to win britain s first relay medal since 1912 in 38.07 seconds. gardener added the olympic relay crown to his world indoor title over 60m and  just like holmes  finally lived up to his promise in 2004. kelly sotherton completed team gb s athletics medal haul in athens with a surprise bronze in the heptathlon. the 28-year-old won her first championship medal since becoming a full-time athlete in 2003.  but it was a different story for britain s defending champion denise lewis  who withdrew on day two of the competition after some poor results. lewis  who was troubled by injury  has ruled out retiring while sotherton is tipped to build on her success. the athens olympics proved to be a landmark occasion for steve backley  who retired from competition after finishing fourth in the javelin. the battling 35-year-old leaves the sport with a vast medal haul including two silvers and one olympic bronze.  and backley s departure was balanced by the return of injury-hit decathlete dean macey  who came fourth in athens.  the continued improvement of sprinter abi oyepitan and long jumper chris tomlinson also boosted team gb. sadly  the 2004 olympics did not escape the problems of drugs misuse. on the eve of the games  greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou missed a drugs test and claimed to have been involved in a road crash.  kenteris  the 200m champion in 2000  and thanou have since been charged by the greek authorities and await trial. at the games  adrian annus (hammer)  robert fazelas (discus) and irina korzhanenko (shot) were all stripped of their titles because of doping issues. hungarian compatriots annus and fazelas both refused to give urine samples while russian korzhanenko tested positive for the steroid stanozolol.  the fallout from the thg scandal  which rocked the sport in 2003  continued to impact in olympic year. britain s 4x100m team took gold without the services of dwain chambers  who was handed a two-year ban in february after testing positive for steroid thg.  american kelli white was suspended and stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing a drugs test. and world 400m champion jerome young landed a life ban from us chiefs after a second doping offence. russian pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva provided some light relief by smashing the world record seven times on her way to the world indoor and olympic titles. her rivalry with compatriot svetlana feofanova livened up the field events. morocco s hicham el guerrouj also delighted fans by racing to a historic olympic double in the 1500m and 5 000m.  and though there was no paula radcliffe in the london marathon  there was plenty of drama as kenyans evans rutto and margaret okayo took the titles. rutto held on to win despite slipping on some cobblestones and tumbling into a barrier. okayo also had to battle back after mistiming her tactics but clinched victory on her debut.


wenger keeping faith with almunia arsene wenger has pledged to keep faith with stand-in keeper manuel almunia for the crunch week which could define arsenal s season.  almunia will start tuesday s champions league group tie against rosenborg and is likely to face chelsea on sunday. wenger said:  you don t think i would take out one goalkeeper for just one game  do you  i don t do that.  i have to give him a run for a few games. it s just that i don t want to make this story bigger than it is.  wenger insists he has complete faith in the 27-year-old spaniard  who was signed last summer from celta vigo as back-up to jens lehmann.   if you look at my career  you will see that i have left many big players out for a long time. i ve done it with dennis bergkamp  kanu  everybody.  it s because it s a goalkeeper  that s all. it s a usual situation for me. you put your best team out  no matter who it is.  for me  it was not a big mistake at old trafford and i wasn t alarmed by what happened against birmingham either.  it s nothing against lehmann. i think he s a great keeper  as is almunia. you can only play one of them.  these people are not robots - they have good periods and less good periods. just because lehmann doesn t play for two or three weeks  or longer or shorter  it doesn t mean i ve lost faith in him.   but former arsenal keeper david seaman believes lehmann has been harshly treated. seaman told the daily mail:  jens is a fantastic keeper. he deserves another chance.  he has made a few mistakes but on form he deserves to be the first-team choice.  with arsenal hit by injuries and suspension  inexperienced midfield pair of mathieu flamini and cesc fabregas will line up against rosenborg but wenger is confident they will prove more than capable.  it puts a lot of pressure on them but it s a good learning process   said wenger.  i m not worried as they are both mentally strong and will put in the needed workrate.   the gunners go into the game boosted by the news that defender sol campbell is on the verge of signing a new deal with the club. and the 30-year-old  whose current contract runs out in the summer  has made it clear he is determined to achieve champions league success with arsenal. campbell said:  it means a lot to me to go through  it s everything. we want to carry on in this competition.  that s where the best teams in europe are. to be in there  playing against these guys and trying to win the trophy  is the first thing in my mind.   meanwhile  thierry henry believes he will be blamed if arsenal fail to qualify for the next stage of the champions league. henry will captain the side in place of the suspended patrick vieira as the gunners seek the required victory over rosenborg. and the striker said:  if we don t win and we go out of the competition  like it or not  it s going to be my fault. that s the way it is.  if the team don t win i know i will be criticised  no matter how i play.


fast moving phone bugs appear security firms are warning about several mobile phone viruses that can spread much faster than similar bugs.  the new strains of the cabir mobile phone virus use short-range radio technology to leap to any vulnerable phone as soon as it is in range. the cabir virus only affects high-end handsets running the symbian series 60 phone operating system. despite the warnings  there are so far no reports of any phones being infected by the new variants of cabir.  the original cabir worm came to light in mid-june 2004 when it was sent to anti-virus firms as a proof-of-concept program. a mistake in the way the original cabir was written meant that even if it escaped from the laboratory  the bug would only have been able to infect one phone at a time.  however  the new cabir strains have this mistake corrected and will spread via short range bluetooth technology to any vulnerable phone in range. bluetooth has an effective range of a few tens of metres. the risk of being infected by cabir is low because users must give the malicious program permission to download on to their handset and then must manually install it. users can protect themselves by altering a setting on symbian phones that conceals the handset from other bluetooth using devices. finnish security firm f-secure issued a warning about the new strains of cabir but said that the viruses do not do any damage to a phone. all they do is block normal bluetooth activity and drain the phone s battery. anti-virus firm sophos said the source code for cabir had been posted on the net by a brazilian programmer which might lead to even more variants of the program being created. so far seven versions of cabir are know to exist  one of which was inside the malicious skulls program that was found in late november. symbian s series 60 software is licenced by nokia  lg electronics  lenovo  panasonic  samsung  sendo and siemens.


us seeks new $280bn smoker ruling the us justice department is to try to overturn a court ruling that threw out its claim for $280bn (£149bn) in damages from tobacco firms.  earlier this month  a three-judge appeal court panel rejected the claim - filed in 1999 by the administration of bill clinton - in a 2-1 decision. government lawyers said they would ask the full us court of appeals for the district of columbia to hear the case. the court room battle is seen as key in government attempts to fight smoking.  it s pretty clear that they ve suffered a severe setback   said anthony sebok  a professor at brooklyn law school  adding that the appeal was what the government  would be expected to ask for .  prosecutors had argued that tobacco firms lied about the dangers of smoking  ignored research that highlighted problems  looked to increase addiction by manipulating nicotine levels and targeted the young with their adverts. among the firms accused were altria group  rj reynolds tobacco  lorillard tobacco  liggett group and brown and williamson. prosecutors went after the companies using legislation put in place to fight organised crime  and accused the firms of conspiring and running  racketeer influenced and corrupt organisations . the tobacco companies denied the charges  saying that they never illegally conspired to promote smoking and fool the public. they also said that they have met many of the government s demands laid out in a landmark $206bn settlement hammered out in 1998 with 46 states. a three-judge panel agreed with the companies  finding that the case could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws.  central to the government s case was a meeting in the plaza hotel  new york  on 15 december  1953. prosecutors contend that executives from the major tobacco firms met and agreed to present a unified strategy denying the harmful effects of smoking. despite denying for decades that smoking could be linked to illness  the companies have modified their stances in recent years. altria s philip morris now accepts that nicotine is harmful  and the company s main lawyer william ohlemeyer told the bbc last year that earlier statements may have been wrong but they were not dishonest. government lawyers have until 21 march to file their appeal.


greek pair attend drugs hearing greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have appeared before an independent tribunal which will decide if their bans should stand.  they were given provisional suspensions by athletics  ruling body the iaaf in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics. the pair arrived with former coach christos tzekos to give evidence at the hellenic olympic committee s offices. a decision is expected to be announced before the end of february. whatever the ruling  all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport. yiannis papadoyiannakis  who was head of the greek olympic team at the athens games last year  also testified at the tribunal  along with other greek sports officials and athletes.  i believe the tribunal will reach a decision that will uphold the standing of the institution   said papadoyiannakis.  whatever the athletes have done  we must not forget that they have offered us great moments.  kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 sydney olympics  while thanou won silver in the 100m.  they withdrew from the athens games last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony. the pair spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash. the five-member tribunal  assembled by the hellenic association of amateur athletics  is also examining allegations that kenteris and thanou avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games. tzekos was also banned for two years by the iaaf. he faces charges of assisting in the use of prohibited substances and tampering with the doping inspection process. all three  who have repeatedly denied the allegations  have also been charged by a greek prosecutor and face trial for doping-related charges. a trial date has not been set. in imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on 22 december  the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as  unacceptable . but kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis told bbc sport earlier this week he was confident the sprinters would be cleared of the charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to testing.  we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical   he said.  there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials  and these procedural breaches have also violated my client s rights.  there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted.


tories attack burglar  u-turns  tory leader michael howard has accused tony blair of performing u-turns over rules on using force against burglars.  the government has ruled out amending the present law  which allows  reasonable force  in self defence. mr howard branded the decision unacceptable  saying:  it is not householders who should be frightened  it s the burglars.  home secretary charles clarke said ministers had kept to their pledge to review the law.  metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens last month backed a tory attempt to change the law so only householders using  grossly disproportionate  force could be prosecuted. the pressure prompted the prime minister to say the police and crown prosecution service would be consulted as part of a review of the law. he told mps:  if we get the right response from those people  we will  of course  support a change in the law.  instead  the government has decided no change is needed but there will be a publicity campaign so people are clear they are entitled to defend themselves. on thursday  mr howard told bbc radio 4 s today programme mr blair had initially refused the law change  then had come round to the idea and was now backtracking again. he said:  we ve had three policy positions in three months and two u-turns.  it s not surprising gordon brown told him:  there s nothing you could say to me now that i could ever believe.    mr howard said the  grossly disproportionate  test matched the hurdle ministers had introduced for civil cases where burglars where claimed compensation from householders. the issue entered the public spotlight when norfolk farmer tony martin was jailed for shooting dead a 16-year-old burglar in 1999 as he ran away from the farm. but the home secretary said mr howard was wrong to say the law was biased in favour of burglars. the barrister who had represented mr martin had said the rules were  weighted overwhelmingly  in favour of the householder  said mr clarke. he said:  the problem is there has not been enough understanding of it - that was the point sir john stevens was making and the prime minister was making.  the new guidance would help ensure clarity on the issue  added mr clarke. the director of public prosecutions  ken macdonald  says only 11 householders or occupiers of business premises have been prosecuted in the last 15 years. those cases included a warehouse manager who had waited for a burglar  tied him up  beat him and set him alight  he said. tory mp patrick mercer s private member s bill to change the law received a first reading in parliament on wednesday and goes to a full debate next month.


unclear future for striker baros liverpool forward milan baros is uncertain whether he remains part of boss rafa benitez s plans after being dropped for the carling cup final.  baros  who is liverpool s leading scorer this season  denied reports of a row with benitez but claims he is mystified at being left on the bench. he told czech newspaper daily sport:  i don t know why i didn t play on sunday. i didn t argue with anybody.  i was disappointed but i am not thinking of leaving right now.  the czech international came on as a substitute after 74 minutes but could not prevent his side losing 3-2 to chelsea after extra-time.  baros denied suggestions he wanted to leave the millennium stadium before the match upon learning of his omission from the starting line-up. but his admission that he  guessed something like this was going to happen on saturday   will do little to quell claims of a falling-out with benitez. and although baros insisted thoughts of quitting anfield are  not in my mind right now   he admitted  everything is possible .


laporte tinkers with team france coach bernard laporte has made four changes to the starting line-up that beat england for saturday s six nations clash with wales.  he opted for yannick nyanga in the back row instead of grand slam winner imanol harinordoquy  who is back in the squad. other changes see julien laharrague win his first cap at full-back  aurelien rougerie return after injury on the wing and yannick jauzion in at centre. but laporte has resisted fan pressure to start frederic michalak at fly-half. the dependable yann delaigue keeps the number 10 jersey  despite clamours for the flair of michalak. the 26-year-old laharrague gets his chance despite playing on the wing for his club brive.   we are launching him into the great international level   said team manager jo maso.  he is young and this is a great opportunity for us and above all for him.  there are 25 matches left before the world cup so we must see as many players as possible. the competition is very high and open.  jauzion  france s player of the year in 2004  would probably have played in the first two matches instead of the south african-born liebeneberg had he been fit. the stade toulousain star wins his 23rd cap and is reunited with damien traille  with whom he forged an effective midfield in 2004.  the return of jauzion is going to be a plus for us   said laporte.  we are going to test him at an international level.   julien laharrague (brive)  aurelien rougerie (clermont)  yannick jauzion (stade toulousain)  damien traille (biarritz)  christophe dominici (stade francais)  yann delaigue (castres)  dimitri yachvili (biarritz)  julien bonnaire (bourgoin)  yannick nyanga (beziers)  serge betsen (biarritz)  jerome thion (biarritz)  fabien pelous (stade toulousain  capt)  nicolas mas (perpignan)  sebastien bruno (sale)  sylvain marconnet (stade francais)  replacements: william servat (stade toulousain)  olivier milloud (bourgoin)  gregory lamboley (stade toulousain)  imanol harinordoquy (biarritz)  pierre mignoni (clermont)  frederic michalak (stade toulousain)  jean-philippe grandclaude (perpignan)


willis sues over movie  injury  actor bruce willis is suing revolution studios over an injury he said he suffered while making tears of the sun.  willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by a firework during the filming of the 2002 movie  produced by the firm. the lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as a result of the alleged incident.  we are not able to comment on pending litigation   revolution studios spokesman sean dudas said.  in tears of the sun willis plays a us military commander who disobeys orders to try and help save a doctor and patients trapped in the nigerian jungle. directed by antoine fuqua  the film was poorly received by critics and did not perform strongly at the box office. according to the lawsuit  the injury was suffered during the firing of explosions as part of a special effect. the explosions  known as squibs  were intended to  simulate the appearance of bullets striking the ground . the lawsuit said willis has endured  extreme mental  physical and emotional pain and suffering.  there were no specific details on the injuries. while willis does not seek specific monetary damages  the lawsuit noted that the star  was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel . it stated he will incur additional future medical expenses. the lawsuit said revolution studios and special effects foreman joe pancake  had a duty to willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected  set up  placed and detonated in a safe manner  and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use .


controversial film tops festival a controversial film starring hollywood actor kevin bacon as a convicted paedophile won top honours at the london film festival on thursday.  the woodsman won the satyajit ray award  named after the indian director. the low-budget film  directed by nicole kassell  is about a convicted child molester trying to rebuild his life after 12 years in jail. judges said the film tackled the contentious subject with  great insight and sensitivity . previous films to take the prize include the oscar-winning boys don t cry  which was about the true life story of murdered transsexual brandon teena.  british writer-director amma asante won the uk film talent award this year for her debut feature a way of life. set in south wales  the film is about a teenage single mother who becomes embroiled in a tense stand-off with a turkish neighbour. also on thursday night  the fipresci international critics awards went to aaltra  a belgian film about the handicapped; and the sutherland trophy  which was won by jonathan caouette for his film tarnation. the festival closed with a screening of the film i heart huckabees  starring jude law and dustin hoffman and directed by three kings film-maker david o russell. the festival this year also included the first european screening of the new pixar animation the incredibles  and the british film bullet boy  starring so solid crew rapper asher d.


microsoft seeking spyware trojan microsoft is investigating a trojan program that attempts to switch off the firm s anti-spyware software.  the spyware tool was only released by microsoft in the last few weeks and has been downloaded by six million people. stephen toulouse  a security manager at microsoft  said the malicious program was called bankash-a trojan and was being sent as an e-mail attachment. microsoft said it did not believe the program was widespread and recommended users to use an anti-virus program. the program attempts to disable or delete microsoft s anti-spyware tool and suppress warning messages given to users.  it may also try to steal online banking passwords or other personal information by tracking users  keystrokes.  microsoft said in a statement it is investigating what it called a criminal attack on its software. earlier this week  microsoft said it would buy anti-virus software maker sybari software to improve its security in its windows and e-mail software. microsoft has said it plans to offer its own paid-for anti-virus software but it has not yet set a date for its release. the anti-spyware program being targeted is currently only in beta form and aims to help users find and remove spyware - programs which monitor internet use  causes advert pop-ups and slow a pc s performance.


steady job growth continues in us the us created fewer jobs than expected in december  but analysts said that the dip in hiring was not enough to derail the world s biggest economy.  according to labor department figures  157 000 new jobs were added last month. that took 2004 s total to 2.2 million  the best showing in five years. job creation was one of last year s main concerns for the us economy. while worries still remain  the conditions are set for steady growth in 2005  analysts said. the unemployment rate stayed at 5.4% in december  and about 200 000 jobs will need to be created each month if that figure is to drop.   it was a respectable report   said michael moran  analyst at daiwa securities.   payroll growth in december was a little lighter than the consensus forecast  but we had upward revisions to the prior two months and an increase in manufacturing employment.   manufacturing is a cyclical area of the economy and if it s showing job growth  it s a good indication that the economy is on a solid growth track.  that means that the federal reserve is likely to continue its policy of raising interest rates. the fed lifted borrowing costs five times last year to 2.25%  citing evidence the us economic recovery was becoming more robust.  job creation was one of last year s main concerns for the us economy  and proved to be a main topic of debate in the us presidential election. while demand for workers is far from booming  the conditions are set for steady growth.  overall  compared to the previous year it looks great  it just keeps going stronger and stronger and i expect that to be the case  in 2005  said kurt karl  economist at swiss re in new york. meanwhile  economists cautioned against reading too much into data from the federal reserve showing an unexpected $8.7bn drop in consumer debt in november. a fall in consumer spending  which makes up about two-thirds of all us economic activity  could help limit the extent of any future interest rate rises. but economists said there could be a number of reasons for a fall in the borrowing  which include credit cards and personal loans  while noting that such figures can vary on a month-to-month basis.


newcastle 2-1 bolton kieron dyer smashed home the winner to end bolton s 10-game unbeaten run.  lee bowyer put newcastle ahead when he fed stephen carr on the right flank  then sprinted into the area to power home a header from the resultant cross. wanderers hit back through stelios giannakopoulos  who ended a fluid passing move with a well-struck volley. but dyer had the last word in a game of few chances  pouncing on a loose ball after alan shearer s shot was blocked and firing into the top corner. neither side lacked urgency in the early stages of the game  with plenty of tackles flying in  but opportunities in front of goal were harder to come by. bolton keeper jussi jaaskelainen had to make two saves in quick succession midway through the first-half - keeping out shearer s low shot and dyer s close-range header - but that was the only goalmouth action of note. and it was almost out of nothing that the magpies took the lead on 35 minutes. bowyer found space with a neat turn on the half-way line and striding forward picked out carr to his right. he then continued his run and with perfect timing made his way into the box where he met carr s cross with a downward header into the far corner. bolton had produced little going forward at this point but they responded well.  they were level within six minutes thanks to a smart finish from giannakopoulos. jay-jay okocha twisted and turned on the edge of the area and after a neat exchange of passes involving kevin davies and gary speed  the greek striker found the bottom corner with a first-time strike. the magpies were opened up again before half-time as davies set giannakopoulos in space and given had to block at his near post. but the home side survived  and they should have re-taken the lead with the first meaningful attack of the second half. fernando hierro cynically chopped down dyer on the edge of the area with the midfielder clean through. but the veteran defender escaped with a booking as there were other defenders nearby  and from the resultant free-kick laurent robert curled the ball just wide. bolton were creating little going forward and they seemed content to frustrate the magpies. their strategy seemed to be working until the 69th minute. alan shearer s snap-shot was charged down and dyer reacted first to smash the ball past the despairing jaaskelainen from six yards.  - bolton boss sam allardyce  i am bitterly disappointed with the result  but i am probably more disappointed with the second-half performance.  in the first half we had put them under a lot of pressure  and our goal matched theirs in quality.  i thought it would lift us and that they might be tired after playing a lot of games  but unfortunately we were not up for the battle in the second half.  we allowed them to heap too much pressure on us  and in the end we cracked.    - newcastle boss graeme souness  we deserved the win. we had a really good second half.  bolton are a difficult side to play. you have to match them physically first but we did that  and then we played some football.  we had a slow first 45 minutes when we looked a bit tired but we got going after that. the scoreline flattered them and we could have had one or two more goals.  newcastle: given  carr  boumsong  bramble  babayaro  dyer  faye  bowyer  robert (jenas 77)  ameobi  shearer. subs not used: butt  harper  milner  hughes. goals: bowyer 35  dyer 69. bolton: jaaskelainen  hunt (fadiga 14)  n gotty  ben haim  candela  giannakopoulos  okocha (vaz te 77)  hierro (campo 64)  speed  gardner  davies. subs not used: jaidi  poole. booked: ben haim  hierro. goals: giannakopoulos 41. att: 50 430 ref: s dunn (gloucestershire).


brazil plays down varig rescue the brazilian government has played down claims that it could step in to save the country s biggest airline.  brazil s airport authority chief carlos wilson had claimed the government was on the brink of stepping in to save varig  brazil s flagship airline. however  the country s vice president jose alencar has said the government still is looking for a solution. varig is struggling under a huge debt burden of an estimated debt of 6.5 billion reais ($2.3bn or £1.2bn). asked whether a rescue was on the cards following a meeting of the country s congress to discuss the airline s crisis  mr alencar replied:  no  i don t think so. we will see.   earlier  mr wilson had said that president luiz inacio lula da silva has decided to step in and a decree of some kind of intervention could be signed this week.  in practice  it will be an intervention  although this is not the technical name used   he said. an intervention means that the government would take administrative control of the company and its finances. for that to happen varig s main shareholder  the non-profit ruben berta foundation which represents the airline s employees  would have to be removed  mr wilson said. however  no jobs would be lost and the airline would keep on flying  he added. varig  which operates in 18 countries apart from brazil  has been driven to the brink of collapse because of the country s economic downturn.  the depreciation of brazil s currency has had a direct impact on the airline s dollar debt as well as some of its costs. business has improved recently with demand for air travel increasing and a recovery in the brazilian economy. the airline could also win a sizeable windfall from a compensation claim against the government. on tuesday the courts awarded varig 2bn reais ($725m)  after ruling in favour of its compensation claim against the government for freezing tariffs from 1985 to 1992. but the government can appeal the decision.


rivals of the £400 apple... the mac mini is the cheapest apple computer ever. but though it is cheap for a mac how does it compare to pcs that cost about the same amount  dot.life tries to find out if you can you get more for your money if you stick with the beige box.      an extremely small computer that is designed to bring the macintosh to the masses.  apple offer a less powerful mac mini for £339 but the £399 models has a 1.4ghz power pc chip  80 gigabyte hard drive  combined cd burner/dvd player. it comes equipped with usb and firewire ports for peripheral connections  ethernet port for broadband  a port for standard video output and an audio/headphone jack.the machine comes with mac os x  the apple operating system  the software suite ilife  which includes itunes  iphoto  imovie  idvd and garageband.  a monitor  keyboard or mouse. there is also no built-in support for wireless technology or any speakers. the lack of a dvd burner is an omission in the age of backing-up important software. wireless and a dvd burner can be added at extra cost.  apple are targeting people who already have a main computer and want to upgrade - especially pc users who have used an apple ipod.  compact and stylish  the mac mini would not look out of place in any home. apple computers are famously user friendly and offer much better network security  which means fewer viruses. the package of software that comes with the machine is the best money can buy.  the mac mini is just a box. if you don t already have a monitor etc  adding them to the package sees the value for money begin to dwindle. macs don t offer the upgrade flexibility of a pc and the machine s specifications lack the horse power for tasks such as high-end video editing or games.   the mac mini puts the macintosh within the reach of everyone   an apple spokesman said.  it will bring more customers to the platform  especially pc users and owners.     an entry-level machine designed for basic home use.  a 2.6ghz intel celeron chip  40 gigabyte hard drive  256mb  combined cd burner/dvd player. it comes equipped with a 17 inch monitor  keyboard and mouse. the machine has 6 usb ports and an ethernet port for broadband connection. there s also a port for standard video output. the machine comes with windows xp home edition. it provides basic home tools such as a media player and word processor.  a dvd burner  or any wireless components built in. wireless and a dvd burner can be added at extra cost.  homes and small offices  including those looking to add a low cost second computer.  cost is the clear advantage. the dell provides enough power and software for basic gaming and internet surfing. it s easily upgradeable so a bigger hard drive  better sound and graphics cards can be added.  the dell is hardly stylish and the hard drive is on the small size for anyone wanting to store photos or a decent sized digital music collection.   this machine is for small businesses and for people who want a second computer for basic home use  perhaps in a kids bedroom   a spokesman for dell said.  i think we offer better value once you realise all the extras needed for the mac mini.     a desktop computer that pc pro magazine dubbed best performer in a group test of machines that cost only £399 (£469 including vat).  a good basic pc that  according to pc pro  has  superb upgrade potential . for your money you get a 1.8ghz amd sempron processor  512mb of ram  120gb hard drive  dvd writer  16-inch monitor  mouse  keyboard and windows xp2  much more than the basics. it cannot handle 3d graphics and has no firewire slots.  those on a limited budget who want a machine they can add to and improve as their cash allows.  it s cheap and has plenty of room to improve but that could end up making it expensive in the long run. it s a good basic workhorse.  it s not pretty and has a monitor rather than a flat-panel display. some of the upgrades offered by jal to the basic model are pricey. you might find that you want to chop and change quite quickly.  nick ross  deputy labs editor at pc pro  said the important point about buying a cheap and cheerful pc is the upgrade path. interest has switched from processor power to graphics and sound cards as that s what makes the difference in games.  even manufacturers are not going to be marketing machines as faster   he said   they ll emphasise the different features.     a computer built from bits you buy and put together yourself.  a surprisingly good pc sporting an amd athlon xp 2500 processor  512 megabytes ram  a graphics card with 128 ram on board plus tv out  a 40 gb hard drive  cd-writer and dvd player  windows xp home.  anything else. you re building it so you have to buy all the software you want to install and do your own trouble-shooting and tech support. building your own machine is easier than it used to be but you need to read specifications carefully to make sure all parts work together.  experienced and keen pc users. building your own pc  or upgrading the one you have  is a great way to improve your understanding of how it all works.  it s cheap  you can specify exactly what you want and you get the thrill of putting it together yourself. and a bigger thrill if everything works as it should.  once it s built you won t be able to do much with it until you start buying software for it. if it starts to go wrong it might take a lot of fixing. as gavin cox of the excellent buildyourown.org.uk website put it:  it will be tough to obtain/build a pc to ever be as compact and charming as the mac mini.    performance-wise  it s not  cutting edge  and is barely entry-level by today s market  but up against the mac mini  i believe it will hold its own and even pull a few more tricks   says gavin cox. the good news is that the machine is eminently expandable. by contrast  says mr cox  the mac mini is almost disposable.


public show for reynolds portrait sir joshua reynolds  portrait of omai will get a public airing following fears it would stay hidden because of an export wrangle.  the tate gallery unsuccessfully tried to buy the picture from its anonymous owner after a ban was issued preventing the painting from leaving the uk. the 18th century painting has remained in storage but the owner has agreed to allow it to be part of an exhibition. the exhibition of reynolds  work will be shown at tate britain from may. joshua reynolds: the creation of celebrity will feature prints  caricatures  and sculpture by the 18th century artist  who painted some of the most famous personalities of his day. portrait of omai fetched the second highest amount for a british painting when it was sold at auction for £10.3m in 2001. it was bought by a london dealer who sold it on to a collector. the unnamed collector wanted to take it out of the country  but was barred from doing so by the government because of its historical significance.  in march 2004  the tate managed to raise £12.5m funding to buy the portrait but the owner refused to sell and it has been held in storage since. the portrait is of a young man who was dubbed  the noble savage  when he arrived in london from polynesia. he became a darling of london society and was invited to all the best parties by people who were fascinated by such an exotic character. sir joshua painted him after his arrival in 1774  and it became the artist s most famous work after it was first exhibited at the royal academy in 1776.


putin backs state grab for yukos russia s president has defended the purchase of yukos  key production unit by state-owned oil firm rosneft  saying it followed free market principles.  vladimir putin said it was quite within the rights of a state-owned company to ensure its interests were met. rosneft bought 100% of baikal finance group  in a move that amounts to the renationalisation of a major chunk of russia s booming oil industry. rosneft will now control about 16% of russia s total crude oil output. yukos share jumped in moscow  climbing as much as 50% before being suspended.  rosneft is already in the process of merging with gazprom  the world s biggest gas company  a move that will see gazprom return to majority state-ownership.  baikal was the surprise buyer of oil and gas giant yukos s main production division at a forced auction on sunday.  everything was done by market methods   mr putin said at his year-end press conference in moscow. shedding some light on the kremlin s motivation  mr putin referred to a period of so-called  cowboy capitalism  that followed the collapse of the soviet union.  he said privatisations carried out in the early 1990s had involved trickery  including law breaking  by people seeking to acquire valuable state property.  now the state  using market methods  is safeguarding its interests. i think this is quite normal   the russian president said. a rosneft spokesman has said the acquisition is part of its plan to build a  balanced  national energy corporation.   the latest announcement comes after more than a year of wrangling that has pushed yukos  one of russia s biggest companies to the brink of collapse. the russian government put yukos s yuganskneftegas subsidiary up for sale last week after hitting the company with a $27bn (£14bn) bill for back taxes and fines.  analysts say that yukos s legal attempts to block the auction by filing for bankruptcy protection in the us are probably what caused this week s cloak-and-dagger dealings. gazprom  the company originally tipped to buy yuganskneftegas  was banned from taking part in the auction by a us court injunction. by selling the yukos unit to little-known baikal and then to rosneft  russia is able to circumvent a host of tricky legal landmines  analysts said.  you cannot sue the russian government   said eric kraus  a strategist at moscow s sovlink securities.  the russian government has sovereign immunity.   the government is renationalising yuganskneftegas.   even so  analysts reckon that the saga still has a long way to go. the rosneft announcement came just hours after yukos accused gazprom of illegally taking part in sunday s auction. it has said it will be seeking damages of $20bn. the claim was made at the latest hearing in the us bankruptcy court in houston  texas  where yukos  had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. if found in contempt of the us court order blocking the auction  gazprom could face having foreign assets seized. yukos  lawyers had also been expected to try to have baikal s assets frozen. lawyers claimed the auction was illegal because yukos - with an office in houston - had filed for bankruptcy and therefore its assets were under the protection of us law which has worldwide jurisdiction. further muddying the waters is a merger between rosneft and gazprom which authorities have said will go ahead as planned.


deutsche boerse boosts dividend deutsche boerse  the german stock exchange that is trying to buy its london rival  has said it will boost its 2004 dividend payment by 27%.  analysts said that the move is aimed at winning over investors opposed to its bid for the london stock exchange. critics of the takeover have complained that the money could be better used by returning cash to shareholders. deutsche boerse also said profit in the three months to 31 december was 120.7m euros ($158.8m; £83.3m). sales climbed to 364.4m euros  lifting revenue for the year to a record 1.45bn euros.  frankfurt-based deutsche boerse has offered £1.3bn ($2.48bn; 1.88bn euros) for the london stock exchange. rival pan-european bourse euronext is working also on a bid. late on monday  deutsche boerse said it would lift its 2004 dividend payment to 70 euro cents (£0.48; $0.98) from 55 euro cents a year earlier.  there is a whiff of a sweetener in there   anais faraj  an analyst at nomura told the bbc s world business report.  most of the disgruntled shareholders of deutsche boerse are complaining that the money that is being used for the bid could be better placed in their hands  paid out in dividends   mr faraj continued. deutsche boerse is  trying to buy them off in a sense   he said.


doves soar to uk album summit manchester rock band doves have entered the uk album chart at number one with their new release  some cities.  the trio replace flamboyant us act scissor sisters at the top. the album follows single black and white town  which reached number six. r&b star nelly has the new number one single with over and over  which sees him team up with tim mcgraw. girls aloud  akon and kaiser chiefs all have new singles in the top ten  as do futureheads and usher.  the latest elvis presley re-release  (marie s the name) his latest flame  entered the chart at number three  one place ahead of girls aloud s wake me up. hip-hop performer akon s locked up is at number five  while hotly-tipped leeds band kaiser chiefs have their second chart hit at number six with oh my god.  futureheads  cover of kate bush s hounds of love entered the chart at number eight  while usher s caught up was a new entry at number nine. in the album chart  operatic quartet il divo s eponymous debut rose 23 places to number six  while crooner tony christie s definitive collection is a new entry at number 10  making it the highest-charting album of the singer s career.


asian quake hits european shares shares in europe s leading reinsurers and travel firms have fallen as the scale of the damage wrought by tsunamis across south asia has become apparent.  more than 23 000 people have been killed following a massive underwater earthquake and many of the worst hit areas are popular tourist destinations. reisurance firms such as swiss re and munich re lost value as investors worried about rebuilding costs. but the disaster has little impact on stock markets in the us and asia.  currencies including the thai baht and indonesian rupiah weakened as analysts warned that economic growth may slow.  it came at the worst possible time   said hans goetti  a singapore-based fund manager.  the impact on the tourist industry is pretty devastating  especially in thailand.  travel-related shares dropped in europe  with companies such as germany s tui and lufthansa and france s club mediterranne sliding. insurers and reinsurance firms were also under pressure in europe.  shares in munich re and swiss re - the world s two biggest reinsurers - both fell 1.7% as the market speculated about the cost of rebuilding in asia. zurich financial  allianz and axa also suffered a decline in value.  however  their losses were much smaller  reflecting the market s view that reinsurers were likely to pick up the bulk of the costs. worries about the size of insurance liabilities dragged european shares down  although the impact was exacerbated by light post-christmas trading. germany s benchmark dax index closed the day 16.29 points lower at 3.817.69 while france s cac index of leading shares fell 5.07 points to 3.817.69. investors pointed out  however  that declines probably would be industry specific  with the travel and insurance firms hit hardest.  it s still too early for concrete damage figures   swiss re s spokesman floiran woest told associated press.  that also has to do with the fact that the damage is very widely spread geographically.   the unfolding scale of the disaster in south asia had little immediate impact on us shares  however. the dow jones index had risen 20.54 points  or 0.2%  to 10 847.66 by late morning as analsyts were cheered by more encouraging reports from retailers about post-christmas sales. in asian markets  adjustments were made quickly to account for lower earnings and the cost of repairs. thai airways shed almost 4%. the country relies on tourism for about 6% of its total economy. singapore airlines dropped 2.6%. about 5% of singapore s annual gross domestic product (gdp) comes from tourism. malaysia s budget airline  airasia fell 2.9%. resort operator tanco holdings slumped 5%.  travel companies also took a hit  with japan s kinki nippon sliding 1.5% and his dropping 3.3%. however  the overall impact on asia s largest stock market  japan s nikkei  was slight. shares fell just 0.03%. concerns about the strength of economic growth going forward weighed on the currency markets. the indonesian rupiah lost as much as 0.6% against the us dollar  before bouncing back slightly to trade at 9 300. the thai baht lost 0.3% against the us currency  trading at 39.10. in india  where more than 2 000 people are thought to have died  the rupee shed 0.1% against the dollar analysts said that it was difficult to predict the total cost of the disaster and warned that share prices and currencies would come under increasing pressure as the bills mounted.